


Safe

by LadyDahliaWrites



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:41:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23863954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDahliaWrites/pseuds/LadyDahliaWrites
Summary: You’ve discovered a dangerous vulnerability in a piece of high-tech medical equipment. When your life is threatened, an unexpected force enters your life.Pairing: Jack “Whiskey” Daniels x Reader
Relationships: Jack | Whiskey/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> 9 Chapters plus an Epilogue  
> Total word count: 38,496
> 
> A/N: Whiskey is alive and a good-guy. This is set after the events of the Golden Circle. I was inspired by the new Charlie’s Angels Movie, I borrowed heavily from that plot. Completed April 2020.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Racing from your lab, you skidded around the corner, frantically gripping a report in your hand while trying to maintain balance with your other; you took off sprinting towards your supervisor’s office at the end of the hall. Nearing his office door, you slowed to a stop and tried to collect yourself before barging in. One, two deep breaths later, you could feel your heart rate beginning to return to normal. You raised your hand, knocking on his door. Hearing a muffled “come in,” you swung the door open. 

“Dr. Austin, I need to show you something regarding the latest software updates to the nanite biomed pills,” you tried to keep your voice as professional and even as possible. 

“Oh?” He questioned. “ I do hope it’s nothing that will postpone the launch next weekend.” He continued, gesturing for you to sit in the chair in front of his desk. 

“It may,” you replied, taking a seat. “Like I said, this morning I was reviewing the code which allows the biofeedback data to sync to the app, and I believe I’ve found a vulnerability.” You set your report on the desk. 

“Okay, walk me through it. Would you like some coffee?” He offered. 

“Yes, thank you.” You replied. Dr. Austin turned to pour you a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker on the shelf behind his desk. “As I was saying, I believe I’ve found a piece of code that is vulnerable to a targeted cyberattack.”

As Dr. Austin handed you a cup of coffee, you took a sip and went on to describe the potentially vulnerable piece of code. You ended by saying that you could roll out a patch that would fix the code, but you would need an extra week, thus pushing back the launch of the nanite pills. 

“Hmm, interesting.” He responded after some time. “Well, that is rather unfortunate. You see, during my conversation with Langston Clark yesterday, you know who that is right?” Dr. Austin gave you a condescending look, “He’s the CEO of this company. Well, during my conversation with him yesterday, I assured him everything was on schedule for next week’s launch.” He smiled at you, an icy glare barely hidden beneath the surface of his professional smile. 

You were momentarily stunned into silence by the abrupt change in his tone. For a moment you just stared at him. 

“Dr. Austin, I don’t understand. We need to fix this vulnerability. This could allow a hacker to gain remote access to a patient’s biofeedback nanites” You said, trying to wrap your mind around why he was so blatantly risking patient safety. 

“No,” he stated simply. “You will do nothing. You will talk to no one about this, and the launch will continue on schedule next week. Now, does anyone else know about this?” 

“N...no one, sir,” you answered, stunned by his reaction. 

Chuckling jovially, he leaned back in his chair and gave you a wide smile. “Alright well, I will consider this matter closed. You have a wonderful rest of your day.” With that he gestured towards his door with one hand, while crumpling your report with the other. You had been dismissed. 

Giving him a hesitant nod, you stood and backed out of his office and began slowly walking back to your lab. You were in a stupor; trying to process what had just happened.  _ Why wouldn’t Dr. Austin be worried about a potentially dangerous vulnerability in the code?  _ You felt your head was spinning. Stupefied, you floated back to your lab. 

The rest of the day you were barely productive. You spent most of the afternoon simply staring at a copy of your report on your desk. The end of the day came and you were still in a state of shock. Entranced, you walked out of your lab, down the stairs, through reception, and to the garage towards your car. You never noticed the stranger who silently followed you. 

Fumbling with your keys, you dropped your head against the side of your car, tightly closing your eyes in frustration. Taking a deep breath, you opened your eyes, catching movement behind you in the reflection of your car window. Surprised, you turned, only to be met with a sharp blow to the side of the head, dropping you to the ground. Groaning you rolled to look up at your attacker and screamed; the man had a gun raised in your direction. Acting on pure survival instinct, you quickly rolled under your car. A shot rang out. You screamed again and took off running through the garage. More shots rang out. You tried to stay as low as possible. Your mind was racing, as you searched for a place to hide? An escape route? What were you even looking for? More shots tore into the concrete near you, shattering the glass windows of the vehicles around you. 

Spotting a stairwell, you quickly ran down the stairs towards the street below. 

You burst out of the stairwell into the bustling New York sidewalk. Not knowing what else to do, you tried to just blend in with the after-work crowd heading home. Your heart was beating out of your chest and you realized that you were beginning to hyperventilate. A skill you had learned the hard way earlier in life was how to mask your fear. So you took a few deep breaths, pulled yourself together, and felt a mask of calm fall over your features. You let yourself be pulled along by the crowd. 

A few blocks away, you finally felt like your brain was beginning to function properly again. The first coherent thought that hit you was that you needed to get home, get off the street. You headed in the direction of your apartment, and fifteen minutes later you were tightly locking the deadbolt of your front door behind you. 

You stood in the center of your apartment, weighing your options.  _ Should I call the police? Yeah, that’s it. I’ll call the police...that’s smart. _ You reached into your bag for your phone when the glass window in your living room shattered. You screamed again, looking up at the figure dressed in black tactical gear who was currently climbing into your living room. 

Again, pure instinct kicked in again as you ran back through your front door. The wooden door frame splintered as it was struck by a bullet as you tore through the door. You raced down the stairwell of your apartment building, bursting back out on the busy New York sidewalk. 

_ What the hell is going on?  _ Your mind was racing; adrenaline helping you to run but not doing a lot to help your brain to process anything. Your insides were nearly frantic with panic, while you worked hard to maintain a stoic appearance. 

You ducked into a coffee shop and took a seat, needing a moment to fully assess your situation.  _ It’s not great.  _ Your brain unhelpfully offered. You rolled your eyes.  _ Okay, I need help. I can’t get out of this...whatever ‘this’ is by myself. What even is ‘this’?  _ Your mind momentarily went to your ex.  _ No, I can’t go there right now. I need to get somewhere safe first, then I can try to figure out what sort of clusterfuck I’ve landed myself in.  _ You mentally ran through your friends, considered calling each one, then quickly dismissing each one.  _ Wait. I do know someone who could help. Eggsy.  _

Eggsy had been your close friend throughout school. You two had lost touch after he started working for some tailor, but the two of you had recently run into each other at the party of a mutual acquaintance a few months ago. He had embraced you as though no time had passed, the two of you had spent most of the evening catching up. You learned that he was now married and had become a senior tailor at his shop. Impressive. As you were parting, he had handed you one of his business cards, telling you to call him if you ever found yourself in trouble. You had laughed at the time, but now you found that you very much appreciated that business card in the bottom of your purse. 

You frantically dug through your bag, searching for the black and gold business card. The man at the table next to you gave you a puzzled look, and suddenly you remembered the hit to your head. You had dried blood along one side of your face. You turned your body away from him, continuing to search through your bag. 

Triumphantly, you pulled out the card. You quickly dialed the number. Three rings later you heard what sounded like gunshots in the background.

“A’ight, a’ight, hold up now bruv,” you distantly heard over the line. Then closer, “‘ello?”

“Eggsy?” You asked, hating the tremor in your voice. 

“Speakin’. Who is this ‘n how did you get this numba?” He asked, his voice on guard. 

“Eggsy! It’s y/n! I….I need some help,” you could feel yourself beginning to break. The adrenaline from your escape had begun to wear off. God, you just wanted to cry. You could feel your eyes start to water. Again, you tried to will yourself into a state of calm. 

“Y/n! Good to hear from- wait, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” A sense of urgency overcame his voice. 

“Yeah, no….not really. I’m sorry to bother you. It’s just you said to call you...oh, I’m so sorry. I feel so stupid,” you answered, really feeling the impact of everything hit you.

“Y/n. Are you safe? What happened? Eggsy asked again, his tone gentle but urgent. 

“I...I was just attacked and now I don’t know what to do,” you stuttered out. “I think...I think someone is trying to kill me.” Your eyes threatened to water as your stomach began to tighten. You felt like puking. “Sorry, sorry...it’s just....I don’t know what’s happening Egs.” 

“It’s okay y/n, just breathe. Are you safe at this exact moment?” He asked. 

“Yeah, I think so,” you choked out, trying to hold back your tears. Desperately attempting to stow your fear away. 

You heard him let out a deep exhale over the line. “Good, good. Okay, love listen to me. I’ve got a friend in the states who can help you. I’m afraid that I’m a bit too far away at the moment. But listen to me, you can trust him. Okay?”

“Okay. Thank you Eggsy. Thank you.” You stuttered out. 

“Of course love, of course. Now I’m gonna send you his info. You hearin’ me love?” He gently asked. You could hear the genuineness in his voice. 

Sniffling, you answered, “yeah, thanks Egs.” 

Sure enough, less than five minutes later you were looking at the contact information for someone named “Champagne.” Feeling like you shouldn’t stay in this coffee shop much longer, you piled everything back into your purse and joined the throngs of New Yorkers again. You swallowed down your fear and held your head up. Slipping in your ear buds, you dialed the number.

One ring later, a deep southern voice answered, “Howdy darlin’, this must be y/n. Eggy said you would be callin. I’m Champagne, you can call me Champ.’”

Surprise clear in your voice, you replied “uh, hi, yeah this is y/n. He...Eggsy, told me to call you. I think I’m in trouble.” 

“Ah hell darlin’ that’s why he reached out to ol’ Champ now. Tell me now, are ya safe right this minute or do we need to getcha someplace else?” 

“Uhh, I’m walking down the sidewalk of Broadway in New York.” 

“Alright, alright. Let’s see, it looks like there is one of those fancy coffee places a few blocks from you, it’s called,” the voice paused and you could hear paper rustling, “uh, it’s called The Bean Stop. D’ya know where that is?”

“Um, I think so...wait...How do you know where I am?” You voice rose in panic; you fought the urge to stop walking and analyze the faces of the people around you. 

A warm chuckle came through the line, “Breathe darlin’. That business card that Eggy gave you has a tracker in it. He activated it after you called him. Seems that you bein’ shot at an’ all qualifies as an emergency.” 

“Oh. Okay,” you answered, still trying to process why there were tracking beacons in Eggsy’s business cards, but figured that was a train of thought for another time. 

“Right, so when you get there, my agent will approach you. Follow his lead, darlin’.” Champ drawled. 

“How will I know it’s him?” You asked as you started in the direction of the coffee shop. 

Champ chuckled, and then responded “Trust me darlin’, you’ll know. His name is Whiskey.” 

You were still unsure, but you acknowledged that you understood and ended the phone call. 

You quickly found the coffee shop and ducked inside. Immediately walking to the bathroom, you wiped as much of the dried blood off your face as you could and tried to make your hair somewhat presentable. These actions helped you to feel slightly more in control of the situation... _ slightly _ . Taking a deep breath you stared at your reflection in the mirror.  _ You trust Eggsy. You trust Eggsy. You trust Eggsy. _ You kept repeating the mantra to yourself as you walked out of the bathroom and got in line to order something to drink. Trying to ignore the tremor in your hands.

Standing in line, you tried to pretend that this was a totally normal evening. You were just grabbing a quick cup of coffee before heading home. Totally normal. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. 

“Excuse me ma’am, but do you happen to have the time?” You heard a southern drawl from behind you. 

Startled, you turned to look at the source of the voice. Part of you wanted to laugh, remembering Champ’s words ‘ _ trust me darlin’ you’ll know. _ ’ The man looked like someone who would know the drawling voice of Champ. He was wearing a cowboy hat in the middle of New York city. Paired with said cowboy hat was a red plaid shirt unbuttoned over a white t-shirt, a large silver belt-buckle, dark jeans, and honest-to-god cowboy boots. He looked like he was supposed to be in Nashville not New York City. 

“The time?” He gently repeated. 

“Oh yeah, sorry. Umm, it’s 5:36 you answered,” glancing at your watch then back to the man behind you. 

“Thank you ma’am. I was afraid I was running late, but it seems I’m right on time,” he answered, giving you a grin. “You see, I’m meetin’ someone here. One of those blind date things. My buddy thought it would do me some good.” 

You were pretty sure this was the agent and you remembered Champ’s words that you should follow his agent’s lead, so you answered, “Oh yeah, what a coincidence. I’m also meeting someone here for a blind date.” You forced a giggle. 

“Well hot damn darlin’, what are those odds?” He smirked again before extending his hand, “My friends call me Whiskey. I’m hopin’ that you are y/n?” 

_ Whiskey, this  _ was  _ the agent.  _ You shook his hand, “I am, looks like we found each other. Nice to meet you, Whiskey.” 

Before either of you could say something more, it was your turn to order your drink. You quickly ordered and paid for a small latte before moving over to the pick-up area. Your phone buzzed and you glanced down to see a text from Champ that read: “Threat in coffee shop. Whiskey will get you out of there. Follow his lead.” You slid your phone back in your pocket, trying not to let any emotion show on your face. 

The agent, Whiskey, followed you and leaned against the counter next to you. 

“Well, I think I’m the luckiest ol’ dog in the whole pack. You are gorgeous honey,” Agent Whiskey flirted. 

Despite knowing that this was all fake, his words still brought heat to your face. “Well thank you. My friends forgot to mention how handsome you are.” You tried your best to appear flirtatious. Although it wasn’t as difficult as it could have been. Besides the hat, there were two things that had instantly struck you: his mustache (a very retro - young Burt Reynolds kind of thing) and the kindness in his chocolate brown eyes. A close third observation was how those eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled behind large-rimmed glasses.  _ A good look, very southern gentleman, cowboy, kinda hot actually. _ You internally rolled your eyes at your internal dialogue.  _ Focus y/n. Someone is trying to kill you, remember? _

“Thank you ma’am,” Agent Whiskey tipped his hat slightly. “I know this may be too forward of me, but coffee ain’t really my cup-o-tea, I’m more an alcohol man. Wouldya like to grab a real drink somewhere?”

Recognizing this as the way that you were going to naturally leave the coffee shop with this man, you replied “I’d love to. After my day, I could use a drink.”  _ Well, at least part of that was true _ . 

“Magnificent! I know a bar right down the street,” Agent Whiskey gestured towards the door, “allow me to escort you.” 

With a hand on your lower back, the agent led you to the door and out onto the street. Once you were a few steps away from the coffee shop, he leaned closer to you and whispered, “Well done y/n. You did great darlin’. Now I’m gonna get us to the safe house and then we can figure out what the hell is goin’ on.” You nodded. 

He steered you up the block and placed gentle pressure on your back, indicating to take the next right turn. The two of you were about halfway around the corner when shots rang out from behind you. The glass of the storefront next to you cracked and spider-webbed. Whiskey instantly pulled you tight to him and shielding your body with his, yelling for you to start running. You took off, with him on your heels, up the block. More shots rang out. You felt something sharp hit your left arm, but you kept running. Whiskey stayed a step behind you, yelling directions at you. You also heard him say, “Ging’, talk to me. I got company. I’m on the move with the package. Be my eyes girl.”

He directed you to make another right turn, then run two more blocks, then a left turn, and finally he shouted for you to stop in front of a bakery. You hadn’t heard any shots since the left turn, and hoped that meant you had lost the people chasing you. 

Whiskey put his watch up to a scanner and the door to the bakery opened, he led you back past the front counter. Walking into the kitchen of the bakery, you saw that it wasn’t really a bakery at all! A comfortable living space greeted you, with a bed, small living room, and a corner kitchen. A door between the bed and couch lead to what you assumed to be a bathroom. You were shocked.

“Okay darlin’, we’re safe here,” Agent Whiskey said, quickly pulling off his red plaid shirt and hanging it on the back of a chair to reveal two holsters under his arms. “Go on, have a seat and I’ll patch up that arm of yours.” 

“Patch up my...what?” You asked, and then you looked down at your left arm. The sleeve of your coat was soaked with blood. _ Huh, that’s weird. I don’t feel a thing. _ With wide eyes, you looked from your arm to Whiskey. 

As he was dressing your wound (it had been a graze from a bullet), he said “now, we’re gonna call HQ and figure out who in the hell wants you dead,” Agent Whiskey drawled, in a kind voice. All you could do was nod. You couldn’t explain why you were so calm. You were probably in shock and weren’t really processing anything. Whiskey eyed you carefully, also wondering how you were keeping it together so well. In his experience, civilians didn’t handle being shot out all that well. 

Minutes later, the two of you were video conferencing with Champ, who turned out to be exactly the cowboy you thought he would be. 

“Now darlin’ Eggy didn’t give us a whole lotta details about whatcha got goin’ on, so why don’t you start from the top,” Champ drawled kindly. 

You told him everything that had happened in the parking garage and at your apartment. As you were nearing the end of your story, you stopped suddenly and looked at Champ gasping, “Wait, I just realized something else.” You let out a groan, realizing what an idiot you had been. You went on to retell the conversation with Dr. Austin about the vulnerability in the nanite biomed capsule. 

Champ took in all of this information and seemed to come to some decision, suddenly saying “Well all be darlin’, looks like you got some folks after ya who don’t want you to reveal that report of yours.”

Suddenly another person, a woman with short dark hair, entered the screen with Champ. “Champ, we may have an issue. Y/n, you work for AshMed Industries?” You felt Agent Whiskey stiffen beside you. 

“Yeah, yes. Why?” You asked, curious about why it was relevant and why Whiskey had reacted the way he did. 

“Fuck. Thanks Ginger.” Champ grunted. Turning back towards his screen, he continued, “Okay, Whiskey you gotta get her out of New York. If they’re after her, you know she ain’t safe if she stays there. Looks like you’re comin’ home boy.” 

A buzzing noise filled your ears. You distantly heard Whiskey and Champ continuing to talk, but you couldn’t discern the words. A loud roaring filled your ears. You felt pressure on your arm and turned to see Whiskey gently holding your shoulder. His lips were moving but you couldn’t hear what he was saying. You tried to tell him that you couldn’t understand him, but all that came out was a groan. Black dots started to speckle your vision. Until you couldn’t see anything at all. The last thing you remembered before you fell unconscious was more pressure on your arm, a sharp prick, and a dull soothing vibration through your chest. 

*****

Pain. That was the first thing that your brain registered as you woke up. Pain. Everything hurt. Okay, no. Not everything. Your head pounded, the side of your face ached, and your left arm was throbbing dully. 

“There she is,” came a familiar southern drawl. “Damn darlin’, you had me scared like I was late for mama’s Sunday dinner.”

“What happened?” You asked, your voice slurred and slow. 

“I’m not really sure. You started to look a little pale and then you just slumped against the table. I ran a quick scan...and darlin’ I’m not sure how, but you were poisoned.” 

“Wait, what? Poisoned?” The adrenaline was beginning to pick back up again. “How? Who? This doesn’t make any sense?” You were almost shouting now, standing up from the chair, you took a step away from the table, away from Whiskey. 

“Now hold on there, you need to take it easy,” Agent Whiskey said, standing up from his chair, and reaching a hand out towards you. “I gave you the antidote. You are gonna be alright, but you gotta take it easy. Come on now, wouldya please sit back down?”

“Coffee.” You suddenly stated. 

“What darlin’?” Whiskey asked. 

“Coffee. Dr. Austin.” All you could answer were words. 

All at once, you felt like you were going to puke. The carefully crafted facade of calm came crashing down. Thoughts were racing through your mind, too fast and yet too slow at the same time; you couldn’t form anything coherent. Ringing, your ears were ringing.  _ Gunfire, bullets ricocheting. _ Adrenaline was surging through your body making every nerve fire and tingle.  _ Eggsy. Whiskey. Champ. Dr. Austin. Your ex. _ Something wet was dripping down your cheek.  _ Glass shattering.  _ A pain shot through your knees. The throbbing in your arm intensified with every heartbeat.  _ Poisoned?!  _ You were gasping for breath, unable to completely fill your lungs. Warmth, suddenly a warm pressure was pressed against your lower back. You heard someone say your name...low. The warm pressure on your back started spreading, another pressure on your back, then you were being stood up ( _ when had you bent over? _ ), then a warm pressure covered your front. You heard your name again, this time you felt a vibration with it. 

As Whiskey was telling you about the poison, he could see you start to crumble. He could tell; many years in the field had taught him the signs that came right before a civilian lost it. To be honest, he was impressed that it hadn’t happened sooner; usually civilians freaked out a lot earlier than this. He had expected it at the coffee shop. He had expected it as you were being shot at on the sidewalk. He had expected it when you recounted everything for Champ. Somehow you had held yourself together through all of those things. But hearing that you had been poisoned was one trauma too much for you to cope with. Whiskey admitted to himself that he was impressed by you. Not only were you beautiful, you were strong...he prayed that you had the strength to get you through all of this. 

You had fallen to your knees and were hunched over, trembling like a damn barn door in a tornado. He watched you dry heave a few times. He walked to you and kneeled beside you, running a hand over your back. His heart broke as you slightly flinched away from his touch. Whiskey had been in this situation with a civilian a number of times over his long career, but he had never felt as heartbroken as he did in this moment, with you. It was twisting his insides to see your pretty eyes bloodshot and tear soaked. He tried to gently soothe you, eventually standing you up and pulling you into an embrace. 

The gentle timbre of Agent Whiskey’s voice brought you back to reality. You came to and realized that you were in his arms.  _ When did you hug him? Shit, he’s probably angry that you were being so weak. _ Beginning to feel more stable, you extricated yourself from his embrace and took a step back. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…” you choked out, realizing that you were crying, silently cursing yourself. 

“Darlin’, ain’t nothin’ to be sorry for. You been through hell today, and gunshots an’ poison have a way of makin’ people uneasy. So you got nothin’ to be sorry for. You hear me?” He gently answered, soothingly running a hang along your upper arm. You nodded and sniffled. 

“Th...thank you Agent Whiskey,” you softly answered. 

“Course darlin’. But we can’t stay here. We ain’t out of the woods yet. AshMed or whoever is comin’ for you is still comin’. We gotta get you outta town real quick.” You nodded, already beginning to pull yourself together to keep pushing forward. 

Whiskey cleaned up the supplies he had used to dress your wound and grabbed you a glass of water. “Honey, you wanna shower or somethin’ before we leave? We’re gonna be on the road for a while,” he asked you, softness still present in his voice. 

“That would be amazing, I still have blood in my hair. But,” you hesitated, “I don’t have anything to change into.”

“Aw hell, in all the hubaloo, I forgot to mention that you have a packed bag right here. Our agents packed clothes all in your sizes,” Agent Whiskey drawled, gesturing to a duffle bag on the floor. 

“Oh. Thank you Agent Whiskey. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a shower?” You asked, trying not to think about how this mystery organization knew your measurements. 

“Of course darlin’.” He tipped his head towards you, “And honey, you can drop the ‘Agent’ thing, it’s just Whiskey,” he gave you a wink and a smirk. 

  
Twenty-five minutes later you were showered, changed, and sitting in the front seat of the town car as Whiskey sped through the streets of New York. The clothes had surprisingly all fit perfectly. You had showered, changed into clean clothes, and forced down some beef jerky that Whiskey made you eat. As you watched the buildings fly by, you felt your body truly relax for the first time all day. You felt truly safe. Which was an unusual feeling for you. You couldn’t remember the last time you actually felt completely safe… it had been years. Not since before... …. _ No, now is not the time. _ You stopped yourself from going down that particular rabbit hole. And, as much as you chided yourself for it, you already felt yourself trusting Whiskey one hundred percent. He made you feel safe, which, after everything, you valued more than anything.


	2. Chapter Two

**CHAPTER TWO**

You had fallen asleep before Whiskey had even hit the Brooklyn Bridge. With your head curled into your arm against the window, he listened as your breathing gently evened out. Quietly, he asked Ginger Ale to fill him in on you. As he listened to her review your profile, he would occasionally glance over at your sleeping form. Sometimes in admiration of your accolades and other times in anguish at the pain you had suffered in your life. 

Through Ginger he had learned: you were about 13 years younger than Whiskey (although with how relaxed you looked right now, he would have guessed it to have been more); you were the top biomed programmer for AshMed Industries; divorced (from someone that sounded like a real asshole, in Whiskey’s opinion); and were taking muay thai classes in your spare time. He about broke the damn steering wheel when Ginger had reviewed the hospital records from the time period that you had been married. 

It was almost midnight, as Whiskey pulled off the road in the outskirts of Pittsburgh. He had been driving for six hours now; you had been asleep for all but the last 30 minutes. Whiskey explained to you that there was a safe house here in Pittsburgh where the two of you could stay the night, and then get back on the road in the morning. Your final destination was Louisville, Kentucky. With an amused smile, you thought that Kentucky fit Whiskey much better than New York. 

Grateful to be getting out of the car, you stretched your arms up over your head, before following Whiskey to the front door of the safe house. He had insisted on carrying your bag. Opening the front door lock with his watch, as he had done in New York, he pushed open the front door to the little studio. It was cute, a queen-sized bed, couch, TV, small dresser, small kitchenette, and a bathroom. You swung your eyes over the studio again.  _ Shit, one bed? What is this, the plot to some terrible romcom?  _

Clearing his throat, Whiskey drawled, “I’ll take the couch darlin’. I don’t want you thinkin’ I’m bein’ fresh or nothin’.” 

You thought about it for a minute, before responding, “No, Whiskey. It’s okay. You’ve had just as long of a day as I’ve had, plus you had to drive! We are both adults. I think it will be fine.” As an afterthought, you added jokingly, “just stay on your side cowboy!” 

He tipped his hat and winked at you, “yes ma’am.” You chuckled. “You hungry darlin’? You hardly eaten anythin’.” 

You shook your head, “adrenaline and trauma kinda kill my appetite.” You shrugged and walked to the bathroom to get changed for the night. 

Walking over to the table, Whiskey saw a bag of food had been left by another agent. After Whiskey had contacted their Pittsburgh division to let them know of his plans, the place had been fully stocked. Smiling and shaking his head, he pulled out a bottle of bourbon that the agent had left specifically for him.  _ Thank the lord for small joys _ , he thought to himself as he pulled down a glass and poured himself a drink. He pulled out the items to make a quick sandwich when he heard the bathroom door open. “I’m makin’ myself a sandwich, and I’m gonna make you one too. You need to eat somethin’ honey.” 

You let out a sigh and acquiesced, “ugh...fine,” you joked. Noticing his drink, you said, “fine, but only if I can get one of those drinks too?” 

“Sure thing darlin’, just gimme a hot minute,” Whiskey replied. 

“Hmm, thank you. I could use a drink after today,” you flopped yourself down onto the bed. 

True to his word, Whiskey made you eat your entire sandwich. It was actually exactly what you needed. The two of you made idle small talk as you both ate. Mostly about places in New York that you enjoyed or restaurants that you had eaten at. When you were halfway through your glass of whiskey, you felt the alcohol collide with the emotions from the day. Like the alcohol had dissolved the last of your walls. 

You leaned back against the headboard and tilted your head up to gaze at the ceiling, silently letting tears slide down your face. Letting out a deep sigh, you murmured, “fuck...What. A. Day.” You took a sip, and looked back up to the ceiling before continuing, “I think I lost my job today. Oh, and I was shot at...twice. Fuck...and to think when I woke up this morning the most stressful thing on my mind was how to handle politely rejecting my neighbopr’s advances.” You let out a huff of air, “That seems pretty trivial now.” You took another sip, returning your gaze to the ceiling, the tears slowing, “And now, now I’m in some safe house in Pittsburgh of all places, with a super hot Burt Reynolds-lookin’ agent. Oh and here’s the kicker, he’s an agent for some unknown agency….I don’t even know... That’s how fucked my life has gotten in the past 24 hours.” You let out another long sigh, closing your eyes, keeping your head tilted to the ceiling. 

Whiskey chuckled on the bed next to you. “Alright darlin’, I think that is just ‘bout enough bourbon for you tonight.” He gently took the glass from your hand and walked into the kitchenette. Grabbing another glass, he filled it with water and brought it back to you. “Here honey, drink this.”

You gulped down the water and handed the glass back to Whiskey, “thanks,” you murmured softly. Smiling sleepily up at him. 

Whiskey returned to the kitchenette, refilled your glass and turned to bring it back to you. Exhaustion had finally won you over. You were slumped across the pillows, sound asleep. Softly chuckling to himself, Whiskey set your water glass down on the table and moved over to where you were on the bed. As gently as he could, he picked you up, pulled back the covers and placed you gently on the bed, pulling up the covers over your body. You hummed softly and curled your arms around the closest pillow. 

Whiskey was once again surprised by his own reaction to you. He felt his heart swell a little as he watched you pull the pillow tight to your body. You had his insides so twisted up, he just didn’t understand why he felt this pull towards you. He hadn’t been this drawn to a woman since...well since his wife. Whiskey selfishly allowed his eyes to wander your sleeping face, soaking in the way that the creases normally present between your eyebrows had disappeared, the way that your mouth lifted in the slightest smile, and the way that your hair haloed around your head against the pillowcase. Shaking his head, he averted his gaze. What the hell was going on with him, he silently questioned. 

Removing his hat, boots, jeans, and leather jacket, Whiskey slid into the bed next to you; staying true to his word, he stayed on his side. 

*****

The next morning, Whiskey was startled out of a deep sleep by something that he couldn’t identify. Instinctually he tightened one arm around the person who was laying across his chest and reached for his gun with the other. As his brain fully woke up, his eyes flew open and he looked down his body. There you were, sound asleep, curled into his side with your head resting on his chest. Whiskey’s whole body tensed at the sight. 

Sudden movement startled you awake. You tried to cling to sleep by snuggling further down into the warm bedding. As you did, you heard and felt a rumbled groan. Confused, you opened your eyes. And that’s when you saw where you were. Somehow during the night you had curled into Whiskey’s side and you were now curled around him like a damn koala. Closing your eyes tightly, you cringed at your own behavior.  _ Great, just great. Now he’s really going to think I’m some kind of freaking damsel in distress throwing herself at her brave rescuer. Perfect. _

You pulled yourself off Whiskey’s chest and moved to sit up in the bed. Not wanting to meet his eyes, but knowing you needed to just face the discomfort, you turned to look at him. He was sliding up to rest his back against the headboard. 

“I am so sorry. I don’t even have a good excuse. So I’m just going to apologize,” you started to ramble. “Here you are just doing your job and some crazy client, victim - shit, whatever you call me, is coming on to you. I am so sorry Whiskey. I...I’m not...I’m not trying to be weird or anything. I’m sorry.” 

His voice deliciously thick with sleep, Whiskey replied, “darlin’, again, there ain’t nothin’ to apologize for. Hell, I coulda been the one who started it.” He slightly nodded. “Either way, it ain’t a very gentlemanly thing for me to go doin’ and I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.” 

“No, no. I’m not uncomfortable,” you closed your eyes and sighed. Still with your eyes closed you said, “Whiskey, I am so appreciative for everything that you have done for me. I wouldn’t even be alive right now if it weren’t for you. And I don’t want you thinking that I’m trying to take advantage of any situation or be inappropriate in any way.”

Whiskey reached out and took your hands in his, “open your eyes sugar.” Once you opened your eyes and were looking at him, he continued, “Y/n, I’m ain’t gonna let anythin’ bad happen to you. I give you my word on that.” He gently squeezed your hands. He could see your wheels turning. But you gave him a firm nod. 

Whiskey may not have known all the details, but he had a pretty good idea of what you had gone through in your marriage. He could see how you tried to constantly cover your emotions, stuff them down, cover them up. It broke his heart a little to think about why and how you had developed that habit. He could also see the strong woman who had worked her way to the top of the biomed programming man’s world. And while he may not have fully understood his pull to you, he  _ was  _ sure that he was going to keep his promise to you. Whiskey was not going to let anything happen to you. 

*****

The six hour car ride to Louisville had actually been pretty comfortable. While he didn’t talk about his personal life (which you understood, being an agent meant that he had to keep his life private), Whiskey had made you feel comfortable enough to talk about yours. He was a surprisingly good listener, frequently asking insightful and attentive questions. You talked about your family, your grad school experiences, and your rise through the ranks of the biomedical programming field. Every time you asked about this mystery organization, he would tell you that you would have all your questions answered once you got to Louisville. 

Before you knew it, Whiskey was pulling the car into the Statesman Distillery and parking. Somewhat bewildered, you got out of the car and followed him to a side entrance to what looked like a barn for aging bourbon barrels. Again, he unlocked the door with his watch. 

There was no way you could have prepared yourself for what you saw when he opened the door. The door swung open to reveal white tiled floors, bright overhead lighting, white industrial walls, and a row of desks, occupied by people in cowboy hats.  _ It’s a lab. It looks like my lab...just with more cowboy, _ was your first thought.

Whiskey led you down the corridor amid a chorus of “Howdy Whiskey!” “Hey Whiskey!” “Good to see ya brother.” 

Opening a door at the end of the corridor, you were again shocked when you were led into a warm, wood paneled room with large plate glass windows, and a giant oak table dominating the middle of the room. This room felt more like a hunting lodge than the industrial laboratory feel of the previous room. You could see mounted animal heads and antique firearms adorning the walls that weren’t windowed. Your ogling was cut short by a sudden booming voice. 

“Whiskey! Hot damn, you made good time! Welcome to Statesman, Miss y/l/n.” 

You turned and were suddenly face to face with Champ. He seemed more...grandfatherly in person. “Statesman?” you questioned, “you work for a distillery?”

“Yes, ma’am. But that’s just the cover. Although, we do make a damn good bourbon,” Champ chuckled as he gestured for you to have a seat at the giant oak table. 

Over the next twenty minutes, Champ explained to you that Statesman was the U.S. division of an independent international intelligence service, operating outside the laws of any governing nation. Your friend, Eggsy (who Champ continued to call “Eggy”), was a senior agent with the UK division. The mission of the intelligence service was to protect the world against a wide range of threats; he made reference to the strange events surrounding the rollout of Valentine Industry's sim cards a few years ago and the more recent rash of people who use recreational drugs falling sick to a mysterious illness. Apparently this intelligence agency had played a role in saving the world in both of these incidents...and many more it seemed. 

With your mind reeling, you did your best to process all of this information. You had been rescued by an organization of gentlemen spies? Cowboy gentlemen spies? You felt like you needed another drink. 

“Right, so that ‘bout sums it up darlin’,” Champ finished, nodding his head with an air of finality. Turning to Whiskey, he said “Alright Whiskey, I’m bringin’’ Tequila in on this one. We are gonna divide and conquer, as they say.” He spoke into his phone. And then another man entered the room, dressed similarly to Whiskey and Champ, in jeans, boots, denim jacket, and a cowboy hat. 

You watched as Whiskey reached out to take the man’s hand for a handshake and then pulled him into a hug, clapping him on the back. 

“Y/n, this here is Tequila. Bit of a firecracker, but a damn fine agent,” Champ introduced. The man called Tequila tipped his hat to you with a soft “ma’am.” 

Whiskey leaned towards Tequila, with a grin, “So Tequila, how’s those firearms scores comin’? You still chasin’ my records?” 

Tequila playfully shoved at Whiskey, “You better watch it there ol’ man, I’m gunnin for ya.” Both men laughed. 

Champ stood up from the table and clapped his hands. “Alright boys, Tequila, you will be providing close security, meanin’ you will be stayin’ with Miss y/l/n at the safe house. Whiskey, you will be workin’ with Ginger and doin’ some investigating. Understood?” He drawled. 

Upon hearing that Whiskey wouldn’t be staying with you, your heart rate picked up. You glanced at Whiskey, wide eyed. While you felt that you could trust both Champ and Tequila, you had formed somewhat of a bond with Whiskey, and the thought of being away from him was too much for you at the moment. Locking eyes with Whiskey, you tried to implore him not to leave you. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you were chastising yourself for so blindly trusting this man you had only just met.

“Uh, hold on there a second Champ,” Whiskey cleared his throat, “Uh, if it’s all the same to you, uh, I think I’d rather be runnin’ the close security on this one.”

Champ looked surprised by Whiskey’s statement, “You feelin’ alright boy? You ain’t sick are ya? I gave you the field work ‘cuz I know how much you hate bein’ cooped up.”

Whiskey glanced at you and then turned to Champ. “Yessir, and I greatly appreciate that, Champ,” Whiskey sounded more certain now, “but think Tequila here can more than handle the field work on this one.” 

“Well, so be it then,” said Champ, clapping Tequila on the shoulder. “Alright boy, get on down to Ginger and get started.” With that Tequila tipped his hat to you, playfully smacked Whiskey on the chest, and walked out of the room. 

“Darlin’ would you excuse us just a hot minute, I need to speak privately to my senior agent,” Champ said to you. You nodded. 

Champ and Whiskey walked out of the door that Tequila had just left through, suddenly leaving you alone in the giant hunting-lodge conference room. 

On the other side of that door…

“Alright Jack, what’s goin’ on? You didn’t sleep with that poor girl didya?” Champ sternly asked. “You tell me the truth, right now. What in god's green earth has gotten into you?” 

“Nothin’s goin’ on Champ. And no, I didn’t sleep with her. Give me a little credit wouldya?” Whiskey replied. Champ responded with a raised eyebrow and a tilt of his head. “Okay, I deserve that I guess,” Whiskey continued. He glanced back at the closed door to the conference room before saying, “She’s scared. I can see it. An’ you know as good as I do, it's only gonna get worse if AshMed is involved.” He breathed out slowly, “I can protect her, Champ.” 

“Yeah, alright then,” Champ grumbled. He paused and gave Whiskey a hard look, “Don’t go doin’ somethin’ stupid Jack.” 

“No sir,” Whiskey replied. 


	3. Chapter Three

**CHAPTER THREE**

You were sitting at the table of the safe house, a glass of bourbon in one hand and a practically untouched plate of pasta that Whiskey had made for dinner. After meeting with Champ, you and Whiskey had met with Ginger Ale, who gave you a new Statesman approved cell phone and laptop. From there you were ushered through a series of small offices. In the first office you had gotten an implant placed just under the skin of your right wrist (Whiskey informed you it was a biofeedback RFID and tracker); in the next office your measurements had been taken with an agent saying that a wardrobe would be at the safe house waiting for you; the third office had been paperwork, signing confidentiality waivers and nondisclosure agreements; and in the fourth office you were back in front of Ginger and Tequila, being interviewed. They asked about everything: the nanite pill you had been working on, the vulnerability you had found, the attack in the parking garage and in your apartment, your time at AshMed, your past marriage, your coworkers and friends, and even your neighbors. 

So now, here you were sitting at the table with a plate of uneaten pasta and a half empty glass of bourbon, utterly exhausted. To be fair, it was close to midnight and your day had started in Pittsburgh. 

“Whiskey, can I ask you something?” You asked, looking at him sitting across the table from you.

“Fire away darlin’,” he drawled, setting down the tablet in his hand, smiling at you. 

“Why did you decide to stay with me? Back at Statesman, you asked Champ to switch you and Tequila. Why?” 

He looked down at the table for a second, then slowly brought his eyes back up to yours,” Well, darlin’ to be honest, I ain’t really sure. Just somethin’ ‘bout the look on your face when Champ was talkin’.” He answered before pausing, then adding with a flirtatious smirk, “I just knew that I wasn’t gonna let you outta my sight.” 

You chuckled and rolled your eyes at him. “Well, whatever your reason was, I’m glad you did. I’m sure that Tequila is a nice guy, but I just don’t trust him like I trust you. I feel safe around you Whiskey.” 

And with that you turned back to your plate of pasta, not having any clue of the impact your words had on Whiskey. He sat, stunned, staring at you; his heart racing. 

You had given up trying to eat. Still too overwhelmed by everything. After cleaning up your plate and saving your pasta for later, you waved goodnight to Whiskey, and headed up the stairs to the two bedrooms. You walked into the one where your Statesman wardrobe had been placed and changed into leggings and a baggy t-shirt. Curling up under the covers, exhaustion quickly pulled you into a deep slumber. 

*****

A scream shredded the silence. “NO! Please stop! NO!” a scream rang out through the safe house. Whiskey was instantly alert, reaching for his pistol and whip. “NO! Please don’t! Stop!!” followed by a blood-curdling sob. 

Whiskey raced into your bedroom, kicking open the door and running in - ready for a fight. However, there was no intruder. Only you in the room. As his eyes took in the scene before him, his heart dropped. You had thrown all of the bedding off the bed and were sprawled in the middle of the mattress, sweat dripping down your face; face contorted in a painful way, as another scream ripped through your throat. 

He instantly reacted, running to sit gently on the bed next to you, he placed his gun and whip on the nightstand and tried to gently rouse you. 

“Hey….hey honey….you’re okay….you’re safe,” Whiskey softly cooed, gently running the back of his hand along your cheek. “Honey….honey….you’re okay….you’re safe….I’m right here.” 

Suddenly you bolted upright, your eyes wide with fear. You were still stuck between dream and awake as your eyes searched the room. Landing on Whiskey, you launched yourself into his lap, sobbing into his t-shirt.

Immediately, Whiskey wrapped his arms around you and held you, soothingly running a hand along your back. “It’s alright...honey...shhh...you’re safe...I gotcha darlin’...it’s alright...you’re safe.” He continued to whisper. He held you, gently rocking for a few minutes, until the tears finally stopped. “Alright darlin’, let’s get you back into bed,” he softly said, moving to set you on the bed. You instantly reacted, clinging tighter to him. 

“No...no, please. Please don’t go. Don’t leave me Whiskey,” your voice was small and scared; you buried your face in his chest as you clung tightly to him. Whiskey knew this was the side of you that you never showed to anyone, this was the side of you that you buried deep down. 

“Okay honey, okay. I hear ya. I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he whispered against the top of your head. He didn’t think that you would untangle yourself from him long enough for him to put your bed back together, so rather than fight with you, he conceded. Grabbing his gun and whip, he carried you into his bedroom. He rationalized his actions by telling himself that he was doing this so that he could better protect you; being in the same room is safer. 

Gently easing the two of you under his covers, he pulled you close against his body and whispered, “you’re safe honey, I’m not gonna let anythin’ happen to you.” He felt you take a shuddering breath against his chest and nod slightly. 

*****

The next morning you awoke to the heavenly smell of coffee and warm sunshine falling across your face. You rolled over and stretched, breathing in the comforting scent of the bedding. It was as you were breathing in the soothing combination of aftershave and just a hint of something musky that the events from last night slammed into your consciousness. The nightmare, the screams, you wrapping yourself around Whiskey, him carrying you to his bedroom.  _ His bedroom _ ...that’s where you were right now. The comforting scent you were breathing in was...Whiskey. You shot upright. 

You were alone in the bed. Glancing around the room, you noticed a piece of paper on the nightstand with your name scrawled across it. Leaning over, you pulled the paper from the nightstand and sat back up; it was a note from Whiskey. 

Y/n,

Sleep as late as you need. Coffee will be ready for you. I’ll be downstairs working.

-Whiskey

You swung yourself out of bed and walked to your room. After using the bathroom, wrangling your hair, and putting on a bra, you felt slightly more ready to face the day...and Whiskey. 

“Well g’mornin’ there sleepin’ beauty. Or should I say good afternoon,” drawled Whiskey from the dining room table with a smirk on his face. 

“Afternoon? Shit, what time is it?” You asked, walking slowly towards the kitchen.

“One in the afternoon,” answered Whiskey, “I made coffee, it’s in the pot there.” 

“You are an angel. Thank you Whiskey,” you gushed as you quickly filled a cup with the sweet smelling coffee. You walked into the living room and sat on the couch, curling your legs under you and looked over at Whiskey. 

He was sitting at the dining room table, wearing dark jeans, white t-shirt, and wire-rimmed glasses. No hat, no boots, no belt buckle. The sight made heat rise to your cheeks.  _ He was practically naked. _ He had a laptop open in front of him, a tablet off to one side, and documents projected on to the LCD screen hanging on the wall. 

The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, only the sound of his occasional keystrokes filling the space. 

Once you felt like you had enough coffee in your system, you said, “Whiskey, I’m really sorry about last night. Two nights in a row, I’ve completely crossed the line. And I’m sorry.” 

He looked over to you, “Y/n, you didn’t cross any line. You had a nightmare, honey. They happen…’specially after everything you been through. I ain’t mad or uncomfortable. Okay?” He raised his eyebrows, questioning until you nodded. “Now stop worrin’ your pretty little head over ol’ Whiskey.” 

“Okay, if you say so.” Whiskey nodded to you and winked. “Thank you for everything, Whiskey,” you said softly. 

“Of course darlin’. Now, let’s get some food in ya and we can start workin’ on figurin’ out why AshMed wants you to stay quiet about that dadgum report of yours.” He stood up, clapped his hands, and walked into the kitchen. 

*****

You and Whiskey were sitting at the table, you were scrolling through AshMed stakeholder/shareholder information on your Statesman laptop, while Whiskey was talking with Ginger and Tequila through the optics in his glasses. After lunch (well breakfast for you), you had learned that Whiskey’s glasses were more than a necessity or a fashion choice, they provided real-time VR and heads-up capability with instant access to Ginger (or anyone else) at HQ. You were impressed with the tech. The trio were reviewing security camera footage from around the parking garage and your apartment; looking for the shooter(s). 

“Y/n?” Ginger asked you suddenly. 

Looking up from your laptop, you nodded to her. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“I would like to get a better understanding of the nanite tech you were working on. Could you walk me through it?” She asked. Tequila and Whiskey seamlessly moved to the television in the living room. You heard the boys laugh at some inside joke. 

“Sure, it’s actually really cool,” you started, as you sat up taller in your seat. “The nanites are housed in a capsule which the patient takes orally. Then, once the stomach acid breaks down the capsule, the natites are released into the system. Each one is programmed to do something different; one attaches to the heart, one to a kidney, one to the lungs, and one attaches to the base of the spinal cord. Then the  _ really  _ cool part starts. The nanites automatically sync with an app on the patient’s phone and their electronic health record to provide real-time health data. My job was writing the code which gave each nanite their directions, the reporting timeframes, and the code needed to sync to the app.” You actually felt very proud of the project; this had the potential to completely revolutionize healthcare. 

After making sure that Ginger was still tracking, you continued, “the next step is adding a delivery system of sorts. So that a nanite could be programmed to respond instead of just providing data. These little nanites could replace pacemakers, diabetes injection ports, and other implanted medical devices. Think about it, all you have to do is swallow a pill.” You shook your head in awe of the possibilities. 

“And tell me about this vulnerability that you found?” Ginger asked, she had started typing on her tablet. 

“Well, I was doing a routine check of the string of code that programmed the syncing between the nanites and the patient’s app when I noticed a weak spot. Basically, it's just a piece of code that is written too vague or that can be easily manipulated. Most of our lines of code have built-in redundancies for security, but this one portion didn’t. That made it weak.” You answered. 

“You said that you told Dr. Austin that it could be hacked. Why would someone want to do that?” 

“Well, I’m sure there are a number of nefarious people out there who are much more creative than I am. So I don’t know about the ‘why’. But the how is that a good hacker could hijack the nanites in a person’s body which is basically hijacking a person’s base functioning. It would give that person the ability to control the patient’s heart, lungs, kidneys, and...most frightening...their spinal cord.” You looked up at Ginger with an ominous look. But she wasn’t looking at you, instead her eyes were locked on Whiskey who had looked over at the screen from his place on the couch. They shared an equally ominous, but knowing look. 

Roughly, Whiskey asked, “And when do these things launch?”

“Next week,” you answered. “At the EBD Group’s annual Biotech Showcase in LA.” 

As Whiskey, Tequila, and Ginger all switched back to the same LCD screen and began discussing the showcase, you looked back at the shareholders list on your laptop. Something was nagging you about the list. Some part of your brain was telling you that the key was in that list. You had long ago learned to trust your instincts when it came to analyzing data. Often your unconscious had identified the piece of missing code or flaw in a data set before you became aware of it. You just had to trust your gut. 

*****

You glanced at the clock in the corner of the laptop screen, 6:30pm. Whiskey had been talking with Tequila or Ginger, or both for most of the afternoon while you had continued to research AshMed Industry shareholders. The answer was there, you could feel it. But your eyes were beginning to blur the longer you stared at the screen. Words running together. 

“I need to clear my head,” you announced, standing up. 

Whiskey looked up from his tablet, barely stifling a yawn. 

“I’m going to go take a shower and then I’ll make dinner.” You said, stretching your arms. “Deal?”

“Deal.” Whiskey answered, returning his gaze to the screen in front of him. His glasses were resting on the table next to him. 

Deciding to allow yourself to fully decompress, you opted to shave your legs and do an in-shower face mask. As you were grabbing the tube of face mask, a memory hit you.  _ Why do you always have to do that crap? A face-mask, seriously, isn’t that a little vane of you? Who are you trying to impress? We both know it isn’t me! God, you are so useless. My mom was right, you are definitely not a good girl.  _

You shook your head to clear the memory of your ex yelling at you. Your ex...wait, hold on a second...your ex….  _ That was it! That’s the key! _

You jumped out of the shower and hastily dried yourself, before sliding on leggings and a tank top. Running down the stairs, you raced to share your epiphany with Whiskey. 

“Whiskey?” You questioned, once you hit the bottom of the stairs. He wasn’t sitting at the table and he wasn’t in the kitchen. You couldn’t see him anywhere. You walked into the living room and that’s when you saw him. He was laying on his back on the couch; sound asleep. His feet crossed at his ankles; he had one arm gently resting on his stomach while the other was bent over his face. Soft snores emanated from the sleeping agent. His signature hat on the coffee table next to him; his boots on the floor along with the tablet that had slipped out of his hands.

Unexpectedly your heart swelled at the sight. He looked peaceful, relaxed. Something that you hadn’t really witnessed before. Your eyes traced over his handsome face, over the lines of his nose, to the strength evident in his chest and biceps. Sighing softly, you watched him for a few moments. You stifled a giggle when you watched his mustache twitch slightly with a deep snore. As much as you didn’t want to admit it, you could no longer deny your attraction to him and you could no longer deny that you felt safe with him. 

Quietly, you tiptoed towards him and placed a soft kiss against his cheek. His only reaction was to let out a slow sigh.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, you made dinner. You opted for an easy stir fry because it would be quick and quiet. Every now and then you would glance back at the couch to make sure that Whiskey was still sleeping; you wanted him to get some rest. He had been going nonstop since New York. 

Setting your bowl and glass of bourbon on the table, you sat down to dig in. Suddenly the peaceful quiet that you had been trying to preserve was broken by the buzzing of Whiskey’s cell phone on the coffee table. He startled awake with a jerk of his body. 

“Fuck” He sat up quickly, and grabbed up his phone. “Whiskey.” He answered, voice a little gravelly. He listened for a few moments, then responded, “Alright, thanks Champ. Keep me posted.” 

Seeming to gather his bearings, Whiskey rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and then looked over towards the kitchen. You could see the surprise in his face as he saw you sitting at the table, quietly eating your bowl of stir fry. 

“Well hell darlin’, it seems like I fell asleep on you,” he drawled. 

“You did. But you really needed some sleep. I didn’t want to disturb you,” you answered. “There’s stir fry on the stove, if you’re hungry.” You gestured with your fork. 

“How long’s I out for?” He asked, standing up to stretch his back. You glimpsed a strip of tanned stomach that almost short circuited your brain. 

“Umm….uh, I’m not really sure. You were already out when I got out of the shower. But I’ve been making dinner for about 45 minutes now.” 

“Damn…” he drawled slowly. He walked over, grabbed a bowl and filled it with stir fry before joining you at the table. You noticed, when his back was turned to you, that his normally perfectly styled hair had an adorable bed-head quality to it now. A couple of rogue butterflies flitted about in your stomach. Definitely not helping the situation were the sounds he was making when he sat down and started eating. He was clearly enjoying the meal. “Hmm...darlin’ this is good...Tastes divine...damn.” 

Desperate for a distraction from the suddenly inappropriate thoughts swirling in your brain, you brought up the connection you had made while in the shower. “So, I had an epiphany while I was in shower earlier. I don’t really know what it means yet, but I made a connection.”

Whiskey looked up from his bowl, “Oh yeah?” He tried to stop his brain from latching on to the thought of you in the shower. He cleared his throat. “What’d ya find?”

You went on to explain how one of the shareholders had seemed familiar to you, so you dug more into it. It turned out that it was the church that your ex-husband used to belong to (still belongs to?). You explained that it had caught your attention because it was recently classified by the ACLU as a hate-organization. “Which tells you everything you need to know about my ex. And why he is now my ex,” you commented when Whiskey raised his eyebrow to you at the connection. “I don’t know what this connection means, but there is a connection between a hate group and AshMed Industries. And my ex, which I don’t know why he would be involved in any of this, but it’s another connection.” 

Whiskey took in your discoveries. He had to admit, he was impressed with you; he knew you were smart but seeing you analyze the pieces was impressive. “I’m impressed, honey. Let’s loop Ginger and Tequila in on this. And let them do some more diggin’ into what a hate group would want with your tech.” 

*****

Later, after you had gone up to bed (you hoped you would be able to stay in your own bed tonight), he was reviewing the security camera footage from around the safe house. It was something he liked to do at the end of every day when he was on assignments like this. He found that it helped to keep him grounded and didn’t allow him to lose sight of the world outside the safehouse. As he was flipping through camera after camera, he was struck by curiosity. Just how long had he slept on the couch this afternoon? 

He flipped to the inside camera system, and pulled up the living room footage, rewinding it until he saw you leave to go shower. He watched the video at 1.5x normal pace and watched himself get up and move to sit on the couch. Clicking forward a bit, he came to the part where you had come downstairs, after your shower. This time, he watched the video in normal time.  _ To check if you had been scared. _ He told himself. 

It wasn’t fear that he saw on your face however. It was….well, Whiskey wasn’t quite sure what it was. It almost looked like affection? He was not prepared for what happened next though; he watched you walk over to his sleeping form and place a kiss on his cheek. Whiskey froze. He sat stunned by what he had just watched. You kissed him? Rewinding and watching it again, he again watched you walk over to him and place a soft kiss on his cheek before walking into the kitchen. 

Whiskey looked up from his laptop, into the darkness of the living room. You had kissed him? Without thinking he brought his hand up to the spot where your lips had been. A very unexpected sensation spread through his body, reminding him of the time he had touched the electric fence around the horse pasture when he was young. Tingling. You kissed him? The more he thought about it, the more that Whiskey realized that he rather liked the idea of you kissing him.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

_ You were running for your life. Explosions surrounded you, but you kept running. “Get back here bitch, I’m not done with you yet. You’ll pay for this.” You tried to run harder. Suddenly you were being yanked back by your hair. The heat from the explosions felt like molten lava across your face. “You can’t outrun me, slut. I own you.” You tried to move your arms to fight back, but looking down you found that your arms were suddenly bound, tied against your torso. He raised a knife to your throat and- _

You bolted upright in your bed, panting heavily. _It was just a dream._ Taking a few deep breaths, you tried - unsuccessfully- to reign in your panic and adrenaline. _It was just a dream._ _He’s not here. I’m safe._ But you didn’t feel safe suddenly. Someone _was_ trying to kill you and you _were_ being chased, maybe not at this moment, but someone (probably from AshMed) _was_ trying to kill you. As you looked around the room, suddenly you were suspicious of every shadow. Danger suddenly lurking at every turn. 

Before you could think, you were out the door of your bedroom and down the hall opening the door to Whiskey’s room. 

As soon as his door opened, Whiskey was on alert. He jerked upright with one hand reaching for his pistol before registering that it was you. You were standing in the middle of his bedroom, clutching your t-shirt, knuckles white with the force. Your eyes were wide in fear. Instantly, Whiskey understood - you had another nightmare. His heart melted at the sight of your tear-soaked face and wide eyes. He opened his arms and you came running towards him, crashing into his chest, almost knocking him backwards with the momentum. 

You clung tight to him, like you had the previous night. Wordlessly, he pulled you under the covers and wrapped his arms around you. With your face buried in his t-shirt covered chest, he heard you murmur a soft “thank you Whiskey.” 

The next morning you didn’t wake up alone. Whiskey was still in bed when you woke up, sitting with his back against the headboard, reading something on his tablet. You were still curled in towards him and he had one hand resting protectively on your back. 

You slowly sat up and mirrored him, shifting so that your back rested against the headboard. 

“G’morning’ honey,” Whiskey softly drawled, glancing over at you. 

“Good morning,” you answered. 

“Another nightmare I presume?” He gently asked, setting his tablet on his nightstand alongside his pistol and whip.

“Yeah,” you breathed out quietly. 

“You wanna talk about it?” 

“Hmm, combination of my ex and then our getting-shot-at adventure through New York a few days ago,” you answered. You took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “My ex...he was a real piece of work. Classic manipulator. Unbelievably charming in the beginning, it was a real fairy tale. Then after we got married, things turned real fast. He started controlling what I could wear, what I could eat, who I could talk to...then...then the beatings started. He would always convince me that I had provoked him.” You shook your head, taking another deep breath. “Anyways, I was seeing a therapist behind his back, and she helped me to see how abusive he was being. She saved my life.” You let out a short scoff, “If she heard me say that she would correct me - she helped me to save my own life.” 

“Sounds like he is a grade A - asshole. And sounds like you are one helluva strong woman, y/n.” Whiskey said softly, giving you a small smile. 

“Thanks Whiskey,” you replied, gently bumping your shoulder against his, returning his small smile with one of your own. “Thanks for being there for me last night, and the night before...and the night before,” you let out a little laugh. “Basically, thanks for being there for me.” 

“Course darlin’, remember I told you that I’m not gonna let anythin’ happen to you.” 

The morning felt very domestic and comfortable. You showered and changed while he made breakfast. The two of you ate together, then while you cleaned up, he showered and changed.

When he came back down the stairs after his shower, you were sitting at the table scrolling through a news article on your tablet. “Whiskey, is there a gym at Statesman?” 

Slightly confused by your question, he cocked an eyebrow at you and replied, “yes ma’am, why?”

“I need to run or lift or I don’t know, do yoga! Something! I need to move. I feel cooped up.” 

Whiskey chuckled, “okay, why don’t we head over to HQ. I should probably check in with the team anyhow. Go grab what you need, we’ll leave whenever you’re ready.” 

*****

After Whiskey showed you the gym and locker rooms, he left to go check in with Ginger and Tequila about their progress in tracking down who was shooting at you. You changed into shorts, a sports bra, a tank top, and running shoes and then started out on the treadmill. 

Whiskey had given Champ a quick update and then headed to his own office. Sitting down at his desk, he realized that this was the longest that he had been apart from you since this whole thing started. The thought made him feel a little itchy under the skin. On his computer, he pulled up the internal security system and found the camera in the gym. For a moment, he just watched you on the treadmill. You seemed to run effortlessly. He silently chided himself when he noticed that the itch under his skin had subsided once he saw that you were safe. 

He slid the gym video feed on to the far left monitor in front of him, and pulled up his email in the middle monitor, while the right hand monitor flickered to life showing the face of Ginger. 

“Whiskey, I heard you were in the building. I have something to show you, I’ll come up to your office.” She said. Whiskey just nodded, glancing back to the gym feed, you had slowed your tempo slightly. 

Whiskey was scrolling through his email, when Ginger walked into his office. “Whiskey, I’ve been running a web search through all social media, the dark web, everything for any signs of that church that y/n mentioned, West Faith LifeChurch. I haven’t found any current activity yet, but- Whiskey, why do you have the live feed of the gym up?”

“Uh, just keepin’ an eye on her Ginger. Don’t go makin’ somethin’ out of nothin’ now,” Whiskey answered, trying to keep his voice light. 

Ginger smirked and leaned against his desk, “Uh huh, sure.” She eyed Whiskey. He seemed...different since returning from New York with y/n. She couldn’t quite place it, but there was something definitely different. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought that he was developing feelings for her. Amused, she watched Whiskey try to subtly glance at the gym feed again. 

“Sure Whiskey, whatever you say,” Ginger teased, before getting back on track. “As I was saying, I haven’t found anything through the web sweep yet, but I’ve been doing some research on y/n’s ex, and I’m beginning to think that he might be involved in this.”

Whiskey jerked his head up. “What? How?”

“Well, he seems to be  _ very  _ connected to that church. He’s on their board and seems to be in on every major decision the church makes. And the church is one of the major shareholders in AshMed Industries. Do you know if y/n was working for AshMed when they were married?” Ginger asked. 

“I don't know, but I’m sure we could find out...why?” Whiskey asked, suspicious. Again, he glanced at the gym feed, you had moved to the weight room and were racking weights for back squats. Whiskey quickly pulled up your profile that Statesman had compiled, scanning for your marriages dates and employment dates. “It says here they got divorced one year, no wait, nine months after she started there.” 

Ginger and Whiskey exchanged a look. They understood what this meant. Your ex had used you to connect his hate-group church to this biomedical tech company. And what a tech company to connect himself to. While it was never confirmed, Statesman had their suspicions that AshMed had been involved in funding the Golden Circle’s thwarted attack last year.

Upon making this connection, Whiskey had called Champ and Tequila into the conference room. Reluctantly, Whiskey asked Ginger to help him to get the gym feed on his phone. She smirked at him, teased him some more, but ultimately ended up helping him. 

Quickly Whiskey and Ginger brought Tequila and Champ up to speed on their discovery. They shifted the focus of their investigation immediately to your ex, Tom Walker, to see if they could connect him to the attempts on your life. Throughout the conversation, Whiskey frequently glanced at the feed on his phone, watching you move throughout the weight room. 

*****

The next seven days passed in a kind of routine. You and Whiskey had started sleeping ( _ just sleeping _ ) in his bed together because it seemed to lessen your nightmares. Breakfast was spent sitting at the table together, drinking coffee and talking about the news or the investigation. Then you would go to HQ, he would head to his office to catch up on work or check in with Champ and you would head to the gym. Whiskey continued to have his left monitor dedicated to the live feed of you. After showering, you would meet back up with Whiskey. Then the two of you would meet with Tequila and Ginger to discuss the investigation. 

Understandably you had been distraught to learn that your ex was part of all of this. After using you to get contacts inside of AshMed, your ex had then recruited the CEO, Langston Clark and Dr. Austin to his church. You felt empty, everyone around you had been part of this disgusting hateful church and you had had no idea. Fortunately Whiskey had been there to comfort you as you fell apart in the elevator at HQ. 

During another one of these meetings, Ginger shared how she had discovered just how the hate-organization-church planned to use the nanite technology. In her investigation into your ex, she had uncovered that the church planned to endorse widespread use of the nanite capsules, then once critical mass had been obtained, hijack the codes for the built-in delivery system. Their plan was to utilize the nanites to kill anyone who behaved in any way sinful. With the biofeedback data, they could determine what the patient’s body was doing and then pair it with patient information. For example: they could determine if a patient was having sex, then compare it to their health record to see if the patient is married. If not, then the church could remotely kill the patient. Another example Ginger had found detailed how the biofeedback sensors could determine if someone was taking illicit substances, and then remotely kill them. Basically, it would give the church the ability to wholesale kill “sinners.” You felt sick. This was such a bastardization of how your tech was supposed to be used. It was supposed to be saving lives not being used to take them. 

Again, you had been grateful that Whiskey had been there for you. Leaving that meeting you had barely made it to the parking lot before throwing up and breaking down in tears. 

Day after day, you would meet with the agents and learn new, terrible ways that the church was planning on using the nanite tech. It was hard on Whiskey to watch you during these meetings, his heart dropping each time. 

Usually after meeting with Ginger and Tequila, it would be around lunch time. You would usually eat at the Statesman cafeteria or at the safehouse. He tried to make lunches upbeat to lift your spirits after the tough meetings with Ginger and Tequila. So, one day Whiskey had taken you to the beautiful restaurant/tasting room of the Statesman Distillery. He said that he wanted to mix it up. In reality, he had just wanted to see your smile. 

The afternoons were spent at the safe house hanging out with Whiskey, in the lab with Ginger trying to write a piece of code that would safeguard the nanites from tampering, or back at the HQ gym watching Whiskey train with his whip and lasso. During the evenings, you guys usually ended up watching a movie on the couch, with you curled up against his side and your head resting on his chest. 

The tension and attraction between you two continued to grow. Subtle looks, not-so-subtle looks, lingering touches, playful flirtation; you felt like you were back in college or maybe high school with the way he made the butterflies in your stomach swirl around. 

_ “Come on now darlin’, come to bed. You know I just can’t sleep without you.” Whiskey drawled as you were teasing him about going to bed so early. “You’re just an old man,” you had joked back. “Old man? Old man? Oh you done it now darlin’...” He feigned shock as he took off chasing you. You shrieked out laughter as you raced up the stairs.  _

_ One day, while you were watching him train with his lasso you had asked him to teach you. He stood behind you, pressed up close to your back with his arms around yours, using his hands to guide the movement of your arms and wrists. You had accidentally backed up closer to him, when you heard him take a quick intake of breath. Your backside pressed against his crotch. Whiskey had tasted blood with how hard he had bitten his tongue to prevent the escape of a groan. You, however, had just smirked because he hadn’t been able to prevent his body from shuddering against yours.  _

_ You were walking down the hall away from Whiskey’s office, on your way to the gym. He didn’t even disguise the way his eyes traced your backside. It should be illegal the way those yoga pants clung so tight to your ass, he thought as he groaned. At the exact same time, Ginger was walking into his office to update him. She had been relentless in her teasing.  _

_ The two of you were getting ready to head to HQ one morning when you remembered you needed to tell Whiskey something that Ginger had said the day before about the hate-organization-church. Without knocking you opened the door to Whiskey’s bedroom (well, your shared bedroom now). There was Whiskey, standing in front of the closet wearing nothing but a towel...a very low-slung towel. His hair still wet. The two of you just stood staring at each other. “Wow,” you had uttered, before your brain had fully caught up.  _

_ You were curled into Whiskey’s side as the two of you sat on the couch watching a long forgotten movie. Both of you were struggling to stay awake, it had been a long day at HQ, going over details of the upcoming showcase. You were quickly losing the battle, you buried your face further into Whiskey’s chest, “hmm, you smell good,” you sleepily murmured. Equally as sleepily, Whiskey whispered “thank you darlin’, you smell mighty fine yourself.” He leaned his head down and placed a kiss on the top of your head.  _

_ “Uh, darlin’ you got a little somehin’ on your lip,” Whiskey had flirtatiously drawled over breakfast. “What?” You looked up from behind your cup of coffee/hot chocolate. He just laughed and gestured to your lip; pinching himself to stop from kissing you.  _

_ You and Whiskey were walking up the stairs headed to bed. He playfully bumped his shoulder against yours and winked at you. You smiled back at him. Both of you resisting the urge to pull the other into a kiss.  _

_ Crawling into bed, the two of you instantly curled together; his arms wrapped protectively around you. “G’night honey,” he whispered in the dark. “G’night Whiskey,” you answered. For a moment, you just basked in each other, enjoying the warmth and comfort. “It’s Jack. My name’s Jack.”  _


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Two days before the showcase. HQ was busy with final preparations. For what, you weren’t exactly sure. All Whiskey...Jack would say is that they were planning on disrupting the launch before it went live. 

You were walking to the locker room after your workout, when Jack came running up to walk next to you. You cocked an eyebrow at him. 

“You gonna follow me into the showers, cowboy?” You flirted. 

“Now honey, as temptin’ as that sounds. Unfortunately, no.” Bringing his hand to his heart, Jack dramatized his desire to shower with you. “I came to find you because I wanted to tell you that we’re gonna be leavin’ HQ for lunch. I wanna show you something.” 

Forty minutes later you were riding shotgun in an old pickup truck, cruising through the Louisville countryside. You were wearing jeans, a black tank top, and a red button-up plaid overshirt, currently tied up at your waist. Jack was wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt, a worn blue plaid shirt, half buttoned up with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Of course, wearing his signature stetson, boots, and belt buckle. Jack was singing softly to the song on the radio, holding your hand, driving through the outskirts of Louisville. He stopped at a roadside BBQ joint and quickly grabbed a couple of pork sandwiches for you guys. As he was pulling back on to the road, you teased him. 

“I hope that wasn’t it. That wasn’t what you wanted to show me, right?”

He let out a full-bodied laugh, “not even close honey!”

You ate in comfortable silence. Occasionally Jack would point out the window at some piece of Louisville Americana. Soon, he was pulling off the two-lane road, turning onto a dirt driveway, surrounded by beautiful pasture. 

“Jack, where are we?” You asked, taking in the beautiful landscape around you. 

“You’ll see,” he answered with a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face. 

The dirt driveway curved around to a massive barn and stable. He parked in front and jumped out, running around to open your door for you.  _ That’s new… _

“Now tell me sugar, you ever been horseback ridin’?” Jack grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the stable. He had that dangerous smile on his face. 

“Uh...yeah, but it’s seriously been years,” you answered as you followed him into the stable. He let out another laugh. 

Once inside the stable, Jack called out to the person who was on the opposite side walking a horse, “Delilah! I’s hopin’ that I could take a couple horses out for a ride.” 

As the person walked closer to Jack , you saw that it was a striking older woman. She had long brown hair with beautiful flecks of silver, pulled into a single braid. A red bandana was tied around her neck; the denim shirt and jeans she wore doing little to hide the strength in her muscles. 

“Well hell, as I live an’ breathe, look what the coyotes drug in,” she hollered back at Jack before tying up the horse and walking over to wrap him in a warm embrace. You were fascinated; you had never seen Jack interact this warmly with anyone. Not even Tequila. 

“You look good, handsome!” She held him out at arms length while looking him over. “Still a little rough around the edges, but lookin’ good, boy.” She laughed. 

Jack gestured over to you, “Delilah, this is y/n. Y/n, this is Delilah.”

You stepped forward and shook her hand, not missing the curious glance she tossed at Jack. 

“Now,” Jack clapped his hands and looked at Delilah, “I want to take this pretty little thing here on a proper horseback ride. Who’s in need of a ride?”

“Well, Cinnamon is always ready for you Jack. He never gets to see you much anymore. He’d be glad to see you safe in one piece.” Delilah looked over at you, “and for the lady, I’m thinkin’ Twister or Fireball.” 

“Hm, how’s Twister been actin’ lately?” Jack inquired. 

“Well he’s been behavin’ better than WhiteSmoke that’s for damn sure. I don’t know what’s gotten into that girl lately!” Delilah chuckled, shaking her head. 

“Alright, it’s settled. We’ll take Cinnamon and Twister out for a ride.” Jack said, before beginning to walk back towards the entrance. “D’you mind gettin’ them saddled up Delilah? I need to grab a few things from the barn?”

“Will do, Jack,” she hollered after him. Turning to you, she said, “that boy is somethin’ else ain’t he? He plays like some swaggerin’, heartbreakin’ cowboy, but that boy’s no fool.” Delilah seemed to get lost in some distant memory for a moment, a far-off look in her eye. Before continuing, “Handsome as the devil himself, but the truth is he’s got a heart bigger than all outdoors.” She smiled fondly in his direction and gently shook her head. “Well we best be getting’ these two saddled up for ya.” 

Soon, you and Jack were riding out of the stable and into the pasture. It was a little uncomfortable at first, it had been many years since you had been on a horse. But little bit by little bit, you felt it coming back to you.  _ Just like riding a bike. _ Jack led you to a trail into the trees at the edge of the pastureland. 

Once in the treeline, Jack brought his horse, Cinnamon, alongside of yours. The horses seemed to know the trail, you found that you barely had to guide Twister. 

“Jack, this place is amazing! It’s perfect! I can’t remember the last time I’ve been around this much open space or breathed in this much fresh air.” You laughed as the two of you continued along the trail. You took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. 

“Well thank you darlin’. It is somethin’ special, that’s for sure,” he answered dreamily. “I come out here to clear my head when I get the opportunity.” 

“Which, according to Delilah, isn’t very often.” 

“Sadly,” he answered, “work keeps me away a lot.” 

You felt your heart tug at his words. Right now,  _ you  _ were the work that was keeping him away from this place. Trying not to get pulled into the guilty feeling growing in your stomach, you changed the subject, “So, how’d you meet Delilah? She seems, well, incredible!”

Jack chuckled, “she really is. Well, let’s see now. I met her...it must be goin’ on twenty years ago now. She was the best horse trainer I’d ever seen. The woman is a magician when it comes to training horses. There ain’t no one better. We hit it off and she’s been trainin’ and takin’ care of my horses ever since.”

“Your horses? Wait, Jack are these your horses?” You asked, shocked. Jack had rarely talked about anything personal. You knew he was married once, but that she had died a few years ago. But to be on his property, riding one of his horses suddenly felt so intimate. Below you, Twister let out a snort at your elevated voice. 

“Easy there buddy,” Jack cooed to your horse, before looking at you, “yeah, this is my ranch.” He looked a little sheepish as he confessed that you were, in fact, at his home. Blush hinted at his cheeks as he seemed to soften. “I told you, I wanted to show you somethin’ special.” 

“Oh my god, Jack!” You tried to keep your reactions to a whisper-yell to not upset the horses. “You did not tell me that we were going to your home, your personal, very private home. Is that even allowed? Can I even be here?” You were rambling in your shock. But your heart was doing backflips in your chest, touched and honored that Jack would share this piece of himself with you. 

Jack laughed softly, “Well technically, no. No, you shouldn’t be here. Hell, darlin’ you shouldn’t even know my name.” He glanced up and met your eyes, “but I wanted you to know my name. I wanted to show you this place. Introduce you to Delilah. Show you my home.” He softly shrugged one shoulder as his lips twitched up in a lopsided smirk. 

“Jack...I’m...I’m so honored. I’m...I’m speechless,” you opened and closed your mouth a few times; your eyes watering. Before you could say anything else, the trees suddenly broke into a clearing and you could hear babbling water. 

“Look at that, looks like we’re here,” Jack drawled, easily dismounting from his horse and guiding him over to the stream. 

Once Cinnamon was tied loosely to a nearby tree, Jack walked back to you and Twister. He placed his hands on your hips, “hold on sweetheart,” with ease he lifted you off the horse and placed you on the ground next to him. With one hand grabbing the reins of Twister, his other hand was still firmly on your hip. For a moment, neither of you moved; you just stared into each other’s eyes. 

With the hand holding the reins, Jack reached up and slid his hat back slightly. “Sweetheart, can I kiss you?”

You nodded slowly and shakily. 

The hand on your hip pulled you flush against him. Your hands reached for his chest. Achingly slow, Jack leaned down and brushed his lips against yours before capturing your lips in a soft kiss. The moment sparked a tornado or butterflies in your stomach. The kiss was soft, innocent, chaste. But it was everything that you both had been needing. 

Pulling back from the sweet kiss, Jack held you close against his body and placed a kiss to your forehead. Softly murmuring against your skin, “Damn, sugar.” 

Twister gently pulled at the reins in Jack’s hands. “Okay, okay. I hear ya Twister,” Jack laughed, stepping back from you and guiding the horse to the water. He loosely tied him next to Cinnamon, before reaching into one of the horse’s saddlebags. “Now, darlin’ why don’t you go into that little clearing up a ways and find us a nice sunny spot.” He tossed a horse blanket to you. “I’ll meet you over there.” 

You caught the blanket and headed further into the clearing by the creek. It opened into a beautiful scene. The clearing was actually perched on the side of a hill, which opened up in a breathtaking vista. Sprawled out in front of you was miles and miles of pastureland, farms, and orchards. You stood in awe of the scene in front of you. It was incredible. 

Moments later, Jack came walking up behind you. His breath also caught at the sight in front of him. But while you were captivated by the scenery, Jack was struck frozen by the sight of you beautifully framed against the Kentucky sky. The warm sun glinting off your skin, the soft breeze gently rustling your hair. 

Clearing his throat, he walked over to you and handed you a bottle of bourbon and a couple of pre-packaged sandwiches. Pulling the blanket from your arms, he spread it out near you and sat down on it with his back leaned against a log. He smiled up at you and gestured for you to join him. 

The two of you sat at the overlook, talking, eating, drinking, and laughing for the next few hours. Jack had shared more about himself with you, telling you how he had come to join Statesman, talking about his wife, and about his friendship with the younger agent Tequila. You were captivated by him. He seemed to fully let himself relax here; he felt saft. Which, in turn, made you feel even safer. Eventually, the evening breeze started to kick up, with the promise of the sunset only an hour or so away. 

You rode back to the stable in comfortable silence. Both of you reflecting on the intimacy of the previous conversation and the connection between you which was rapidly being solidified. Arriving back in the stable, Jack helped you dismount from your horse. As Delilah walked around, offering to help put the horses up for the evening, Jack’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Excusing himself, he stepped out of the stable to take the call. 

Delilah wordlessly watched him walk away, a small smile on her face. “You must be somethin’ special to him, you know that?” She asked you, a fond softness in her voice. 

You looked at her, confused. “Why do you say that?”

“‘Cuz darlin’ Jack never brings anybody out here. Hell, I don’t even think that boy...what’s his name?...Tequila, I don’t even think Tequila’s ever been out here.” Delilah answered simply. 

“Wh...what?” You were surprised. 

“He’s a private man, honey.” A forlorn quality had entered her soft voice. “After his wife passed, ol’ Jack just kinda closed himself off from the world.” She sighed. “Tad ironic, that boy shut himself off from the world that he was always savin’,” she laughed softly. Looking back to you, she added, “so you must be someone pretty special for him to bring you out here. You be good to him, will ya? Don’t go breakin’ his heart. I ain’t sure he could recover from that again.” 

You nodded, looking back in the direction where Jack had walked. 

When he came back into the stable, you were helping Delilah to brush Cinnamon. 

“My apologies ladies,” he tipped his hat to both of you. “Delilah, would you mind terribly if I borrowed this pretty little gal from you? I want to show her what a real sunset is supposed to look like. One without all those buildings in the way.” 

Delilah laughed, “Of course Jack! Please, you two run along now. I’ll get these horses all settled for the evening.” She turned her attention to you, as you were walking to stand next to Jack. “And y/n, it was lovely to make your acquaintance.” 

“Likewise, Delilah, likewise.” You smiled back at the older woman, before Jack was grabbing your hand and pulling you through the stable towards the door. 

“Thanks Delilah! You’re the best!” Jack hollered over his shoulder. 

He pulled you a little ways into the pasture, stopping suddenly at a section of the split-rail fence. Jack put his hands on your hips and lifted you up to sit on the top beam of the fence. “Here. This’ll be perfect.” He went to move out from between your spread knees, but you placed a hand on his chest. 

“Stay here. I like when you’re close.” You softly flirted. 

He tipped his head and winked. “Okay honey. Now watch this sunset. I guarantee it is gonna knock your socks off.” He placed a kiss on your cheek. 

The two of you watched the sun sink lower and lower on the horizon. The sky erupting in beautiful pinks, bright oranges, and deep purples. It really was the most dazzling sunset you had ever seen. The sun had almost dropped completely behind the hills when Jack turned to face you, still standing between your spread knees. 

“Y/n, darlin’, there’s somethin’ I wanna ask you,” he whispered, bringing his face close to yours. You could feel his breath against your lips. His arms wrapping around your waist, holding you tight against him. You nodded slightly, bumping your nose against his. 

“Darlin’...I know things are crazier than a racoon messed up on crack right now and I know that we haven’t known each other for very long an’ all...but...aw hell…” Jack exhaled slowly before looking into your eyes. “Darlin’ what I’m tryin’ to say is that I’d like to make you mine. I’d like you to be my girl. What d’ya say?”

“Oh Jack! Yes! I’d love to be your girl!” You giggled and wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him hard. 

Jack let out a soft ‘oompf’ as you pulled him closer. But he quickly tightened his arms around you and smiled into the kiss. You felt his lips turn up in a smile and you just couldn’t hold back any longer. Enthusiastically, you swiped your tongue against his lips, asking for more of him. Just as eagerly, Jack opened his mouth to yours with a moan. The two of you gently fought for dominance, with you eventually losing. Jack let out a soft chuckle before continuing his exploration of you. Soon, the need for oxygen became too strong. You reluctantly pulled back from the kiss, keeping your forehead pressed against his. 

“Damn sugar,” Jack breathed out, warm breath fanning against your lips, “you taste just as sweet as I imagined.” 

You giggled, “And you, cowboy, taste just like I thought you would...like Whiskey.” 

Jack leaned his head back laughing, a full-bodied, deep laugh, almost losing his hat. Once he could speak again, “Whew, darlin’, you are just too perfect. You know that right? How ‘bout we head to the house now and continue this little conversation?” He winked. 

Jack grabbed your hips and helped you jump down from the fence, then led you back to the stable and to his truck. Holding your hand the entire time.


	6. Chapter Six

**CHAPTER SIX**

Still holding your hand, Jack followed the dirt driveway behind the barn. The road continued for another mile, before gently curving around to a pond and a beautiful two-story ranch house with a wrap-around porch. Jack pulled the truck into a barn/garage that sat next to the house, before jumping out to open your door for you. He pulled two bags from the backseat of the truck. 

Jack led you to the front door of the house, stopping under the glow of the porch light. “Welcome to my home, y/n.” A quick peck on the cheek and then he was unlocking the door and guiding you inside. 

The first floor opened up into a quaint entryway. Immediately to your left was a small sitting room with shelves packed with books and oversized couches. Beyond that was a giant kitchen with an island, and a dining room. Large windows looked out into the darkness of the surrounding ranchland. To your right was a wall with hooks and shelves for boots and jackets, then a massive living room that spanned the entire length of the first floor with a stone fireplace. You could see a comfy-looking sectional, a huge tv, shelves of movies, and a wet bar. Directly in front of you was a staircase leading to the second floor. The walls of the entire first floor were decorated with southern Americana. A worn American flag was framed in the sitting room. Photos (historical and more recent) decorated the walls in the kitchen and the living room. Various antique weaponry also hung on the walls of the living room. Overall, it felt very comfortable. Although, you also noticed that it didn’t feel very lived-in. You realized that Jack probably didn’t get to spend very much time here. 

Jack hung his hat and jacket on hooks and kicked off his boots, as you pulled off your shoes. He then gestured you up the stairs. The upstairs was divided into a massive master bedroom which dominated the front half of the house, two guest bedrooms, a bathroom, and an office. 

“Come ‘ere darlin’. Follow me,” Jack drawled, leading you into the master bedroom. The room was lined with windows that currently had curtains drawn over them. A massive king-sized bed sat to your right, facing the front of the house. Directly in front of you were two high back plush chairs around a coffee table. To your left were two doors leading to a bathroom and a walk-in closet. 

Jack set both bags on the bed and pulled you into a hug. “I’d like for you to stay here with me tonight, in my home.” 

“Can we? Really?” You excitedly asked, liking the idea of getting to see Jack in his comfort zone. 

“I just have to make a phone call, but yes ma’am. If you’d like to, we can stay.”

“Yes! Please!” You were practically jumping with the prospect of getting to stay here with Jack. 

He beamed at you, “okay, it’s settled then. Okay darlin’ why don’t you go an’ jump in the shower. There’s a change of clothes in that bag there. I will go make that phone call.” 

“Okay!” You crashed your lips into his before you grabbed the bag and ran towards the bathroom. 

Once he heard the water from the shower, Jack let out a deep sigh and pulled out his phone. He was hesitant to make this phone call. Not because he didn’t want you here. God, he wanted that more than anything. No, he was hesitant because he was going to have to tell Champ that he had gone and done something stupid. He had fallen in love with the woman he was protecting. The woman who was being threatened and chased by hitmen. Taking another deep breath, Jack knew he had to get this over with. He sat down on the bed and brought up Champ’s contact. 

“Howdy there Jack!”

“Howdy Champ. I gotta talk to you ‘bout somethin’.” Jack could almost feel the man on the other end tense up at his words. 

“What is it? Is everythin’ okay?” 

“Yeah, Champ everythin’ is fine. But I need you to activate the security settings at my house.” 

There was a pause. “Your house? Boy, what’d ya do? Leave that poor girl alone at the safe house?” Another pause, Jack could hear Champ tapping against something. Suddenly the tapping stopped. “Jack...that girl ain’t at the safe house is she?” 

“No sir, she isn’t. Y/n is... here at my house.” Jack answered slowly, he knew it would be better if he just came clean about everything. “Champ, I brought her out here. I...I told her my name...an’ well... I asked her to be my girl.” Jack closed his eyes, waiting for the explosion from the other end of the line. 

More silence. Then, in a voice that was eerily calm, “Jack, you’re gonna have to repeat that ‘cuz it sounded like you said that y/n was at your house right now. And that you had gone and done the exact thing I told you not to do. You went and done somethin’ stupid!” Champ was shouting by the end. 

Jack winced and pulled the phone away from his ear. Reluctantly bringing the phone back, “Yes sir...yeah.” Jack closed his eyes, dreading what was about to come. 

“JACK!” Champ boomed, “what in all of creation have you done? Boy…” Champ continued to shout. “Goddammit Jack. You know the rules!”

“I know sir. And I fully accept any an’ all of the consequence of my actions.” It was all Jack could say. He wasn’t about to apologize, he didn’t regret anything. Not a single action. He was in love with you. Pure and simple. 

Champ let out a long tired sigh, “Jack…” a more soft, fatherly tone this time. “Jack...you best be sure ‘bout this girl...are you? Sure ‘bout her?”

Jack paused, “Yeah, Champ I really think I am. I haven’t felt this way since...hell...well since my wife. An’ I know it’s damn quick, but-”

Jack was cut off, “Alright, alright. Okay, Jack. I’ll turn on the security protocols for your home. But Jack?”

“Yes sir?”

“This conversation ain’t over.”

“No sir. See you tomorrow sir.” 

“G’night Jack,” Champ muttered gruffly. 

“Night Champ.” 

Jack dropped his phone to the mattress and flopped back against the bed. He let out a long sigh. He didn’t regret anything that happened today. And he would take whatever punishment Champ had in store for him. The truth was, Jack was willing to endure all of it for you. Listening to you sing softly over the water brought a smile to his face. This, this was worth it. You were worth it. 

Minutes later, you were walking out of the bathroom dressed only in one of Jack’s white button-down shirts and a pair of panties. Your hair, still damp from the shower, hung loose around your face. Jack thought he had a heart attack when he first looked up at you. You were absolutely perfect. 

Standing up from the bed, he wrapped you in his arms. As he breathed in the smell of  _ his  _ shampoo in your hair, he thought he was going to faint as all the blood in his head went straight to his groin. Groaning slightly, Jack murmured softly “Hell darlin’ you look like perfection. Like a goddamn angel right now.” He breathed in more of your scent, “Now I’m gonna go take the fastest shower of my life. Why don’t you head downstairs and pour us a couple glasses of somethin’ and I’ll meet you back up here?” 

You nodded against his chest, “don’t take too long.” There was a playful quality to your voice that had Jack aching. 

Reluctantly, Jack stepped away from you and walked towards the bathroom. You softly padded downstairs towards the wet bar that you had glimpsed earlier in the living room. As you walked into the living room, you noticed that besides the tv and couches you had seen earlier, there was a pool table and a dart board further back and a bathroom tucked under the stairs. You went to the wet bar, admiring the stone work of the massive fireplace in the dark. Jack had an impressive collection of alcohol.  _ Of course he does _ , you thought. The bottles all lined up on glass shelves behind the beautiful wooden bar. You searched until you found the bottle you were looking for, a bottle of Statesman aged bourbon. Pulling it off the shelf, you also grabbed two mason jar glasses and padded back upstairs to the bedroom. 

You were sitting in one of the high back chairs in the bedroom, with an almost empty glass of bourbon, staring out a window into the darkness of the countryside that surrounded the house. Jack came over and sat down next to you, clad only in low-slung sweatpants. Wordlessly you handed him the other glass of bourbon. You watched him bring the glass to his lips and take a sip. Never before in your life had you been so turned on by the sight of a man’s lips on the edge of a glass. The soft moan of contentment that left those lips a moment later didn’t help. You watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed and you felt moisture begin to dampen your underwear. You weren’t sure if he was aware of his affect on you or if he was oblivious when his tongue dipped out to swipe a drop of bourbon off his lips. You couldn’t stop the soft moan that escaped you. Lifting your eyes to meet Jack’s, you knew instantly that he knew exactly the effect he was having on you. The glimmer in his eye matching the smirk that was growing on his damn lips. 

Huffing out a short, “fuck,” you set your glass on the coffee table and moved to straddle Jack. He brought one hand to your uncovered thigh, the other still holding his glass of bourbon. His fingers starting to trace shapes softly against your skin. 

“Well, hello there sugar,” Jack drawled, his voice deeper.

“Hi there, cowboy,” you answered. You brought your arms to rest around his neck. 

Jack brought his glass to your lips and tipped it up, giving you a drink of the bourbon. He then swallowed the rest in one gulp. He set the glass on the table and brought both hands to rest on your bare thighs. They didn’t stay there though, his hands slowly began to climb, up your legs, to rest against the curve of your ass.

“Baby, I gotta tell you, I’m havin’ some very ungentlemanly thoughts ‘bout you right now.” His voice was deep and gravelly. “You walkin’ around in my shirt, doin’ absolutely nothin’ to hide this gorgeous body and delightful curves of yours. Now honey, that just ain’t fair.” 

You preened at his words, giggling softly. “Oh yeah? What kind of thoughts? You feel like sharing?”

“Nah, you see darlin’, I’m not much of a talker. I’d much rather show ya. If that’s alright?” Jack brushed his lips against yours softly, gently licking at your lips. 

“Yeah, showing me sounds much better,” you breathed out. 

Jack let out a soft laugh. “Yeah, sounds damn better. Now babygirl, you say ‘stop’ at any point an’ we stop, alright? I don’t want to do anythin’ that you ain’t comfortable with. Okay?” 

You nodded; your core clenched at the unspoken message in his words. Just how adventurous was this going to get? You had never had a partner say that to you before. You were intrigued...and incredibly turned on. Shakily, you whispered, “how gentlemanly.” 

“Yes ma’am. I was raised to take good care of my lady, inside and outside the bedroom,” Jack winked at you. God, your underwear were soaked with how much this man was turning you on. You tried to squeeze your thighs together, but your legs were still spread as you were straddling Jack. He noticed you squirming and smiled. Effortlessly he lifted you and set you down, straddling one of his thighs.

You lifted your eyes to his, questioning. 

“I wanna watch you,” he husked against your ear. He brought his hands to tightly grip your hips. You knew there would be bruises; the thought flooding your underwear even more. God, this man continued to bring out parts of your sexuality that you hadn’t even known before. You felt like you were practically a virgin again. 

You looked at Jack with wide, innocent eyes. “I...I’ve never…been able to do this.”

“Well damn, I’ll consider myself lucky then. I get to be your first, babygirl,” his eyes darkened. “Just trust me. I’m gonna make you feel so good, honey.” 

He dragged you up his thigh, gently pulling you down. The fabric of your soaked underwear rubbed deliciously against your clit. “Oh!” You let out a yelp. Jack smirked. He continued to gently drag you up and back; your hips started to roll slightly. You buried your hands in Jack’s dark locks and stared into his eyes. The look of lust on his face shot a current of electricity straight to your cunt. Roughly, he continued to pull you as you rolled your hips. Jack could feel the moisture and heat from your core through his sweatpants, making him groan. He built up a rhythm, and then flexed his thigh, making you let out a scream of his name as you tumbled into your release. Your back arched, pressing your covered breasts against Jack’s firm chest. Your toes curling, almost cramping. 

Jack continued to gently rock you against his thigh. It took you a few minutes to come down. You were still shivering against him, pressed tightly into his chest. Panting and trying to catch your breath; you looked into Jack’s eyes as he hungrily attacked your lips. 

“Hot damn, baby. That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. You are so fuckin’ gorgeous,” he groaned against your lips, in between placeing hungry kisses on your hips and cheeks. “I wanna keep making those sexy noises come out of your pretty mouth, baby.” 

You nodded against him, bumping your nose into his playfully. “Yeah, yes please,” you whimpered, “please, I want that too.” Teasingly, you nipped at his chin, running your tongue along his jawline and taking nibbling at his ear. Eliciting the sexiest moan from Jack. 

Jack picked you up and started walking to the bed. 

Midway to the bed, you muttered “I have an IUD,” bashfully. 

“What was that, sugar?”

Leaning back slightly, your eyes closed, you repeated “I have an IUD.” 

Jack growled, legitimately growled in response. He laid you down on the bed with your head on the pillows and braced himself above you holding you under him. His dark brown eyes peered into yours, “Hell sugar, you gotta warn a guy before you go sayin’ such dirty things.” Another groan, then softer, “Does that mean what I’m thinkin’...and hopin’ that means sugar?” 

“Uh huh,” you nodded shyly, innocently meeting Jack’s eyes, half whimpering. Your cheeks were on fire. 

“You want me goin’ bare?”

“Uh huh,” you nodded again, capturing your bottom lip between your teeth. You were sure even your chest was flushed at this point. Here you were, shy to tell him that you wanted him to forego the condom because you had an IUD, when he had just given you the single best orgasm of your life moments earlier. 

Jack dropped his head to your shoulder and shuddered. “Fuck, I’ve died an’ gone to heaven. You are absolutely perfect, baby.” Before raising his head and kissing you hard. Your mouth opening to him without hesitation. Jack twisted his tongue along every corner of your mouth, memorizing every crevice. 

You were suddenly emboldened by the way that Jack was worshiping your mouth. He had a way of making you feel like the most beautiful woman alive. It gave you an idea. Well, it gave you the courage to act on an idea you had a few days ago. Feeling brave and incredibly turned on, you broke away from the kiss and looked up at Jack.

“Jack, can I...can I suck you?” you whispered in the most innocent voice. 

He groaned, “Fuck baby, there you go again. Those pretty lips whispering the most filthy things….fuck, where have you been all my life y/n?” He kissed you briefly again before sitting up and pulling you with him. Jack rolled to sit up on the edge of the bed, while you slid to the floor between his knees. He looked down at you resting on your calves, wearing one of  _ his  _ shirts, between  _ his  _ legs. Fuck, you were flawless. 

You raised up to your knees and gently pulled his sweatpants down, not surprised to discover that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Once he had kicked them to the side, you allowed yourself to fully appreciate Jack’s body. All tanned and strong. The muscles in his chest and arms, leading down to a soft stomach with a subtle trail of dark hair. Following that trail, your eyes landed on his cock.  _ Fuck...he’s huge! _ Your eyes widened. He was long and thick. Your cunt involuntarily clenched knowing that he was going to completely stretch you. Jack watched with a smirk as your eyes traced over his length. You ran your hands over his muscular thighs, feeling the strength and warmth in them. 

Without hesitating you licked your palm and wrapped it around him, gently squeezing. Jack groaned. You bent forward and licked a stripe up the side of his length, repeating it on the other side. “Fuck honey. Yeah...so good,” Jack moaned above you. You brought his tip to your lips and slowly began taking him into your mouth. He was big; longer and wider than anyone you had ever been with. You weren’t sure if you could take all of him, but the way that he was already moaning above you sure as hell had you motivated to try. 

Slowly, you swallowed inch after inch, until he was bumping against the back of your throat. “Shit, sweetheart,” Jack suddenly gasped as you swallowed around his length. You circled your hand around the part of him that you couldn’t quite take...yet, and jerked him slowly. Easing him back out, you kept his crown in your mouth, continuing to jerk him gently, and looked up at Jack with lidded eyes. You felt him twitch in your mouth when he made eye contact with you. “Sonuvabitch, baby, you feel so good. Your lips wrapped around me are just heaven. Fuck…” Jack moaned. 

Pulling back, you licked across his crown, “Jack, I wanna taste you. Cum in my mouth...please?” You again looked at him with those wide eyes, making it impossible for him to think clearly. 

“Shit, darlin’ you want that, huh? You want to swallow my load? Take me deep in that perfect mouth of yours and- oh!”

You cut him off as you sucked him into your mouth again, taking him deep. Starting to bob your head slowly, you tried taking him deeper and deeper with every pass. Jack’s hips started gently thrusting up into you, as he continued to moan your praises. “Goddamnit sweetheart...you are so good….look at how beautiful you are, all stuffed full of my cock….fuck sugar….fuckin’ perfect…” You continued to suck him deeper until you felt him twitch in your mouth. Bringing your hand up to cup his balls you firmly fondled him as you sucked him deep. With a deep growl, Jack came hard down your throat. His hands flying to grasp the back of your head. You moaned as you tasted the salty-sweetness of his cum; your tongue lazily caressing the vein on the underside of his shaft. Feeling the vibrations from your moan, Jack moaned loudly, cumming even more. 

You didn’t want to let him out of your mouth. It just felt so good to have his cock resting in your mouth. Even as he started to grow soft, you continued to gently suckle him.  _ Fuck, Jack had ignited yet another previously unknown desire.  _ You wanted to keep gently suckling him.  __

“Fuckin’ hell y/n. You are goddamn perfection. That mouth of yours is somethin’ else.” Jack panted; he was rambling. “What’re you doin’ down there, babygirl? You just gonna keep holdin’ on to me...mmm...fuck yeah. You’re given me all sorts of dirty ideas there baby” He groaned loudly. “Damn...as good as you feel sugar, and  _ damn  _ do you feel good.” He tried to control his breathing and pull himself together. “I think it’s time I repay the favor. I am a gentleman.” Jack looked down at you and winked. 

He pulled you off of him and lifted you to lay down on the bed with him above you. Kissing you deeply, Jack started undoing the buttons of his shirt you were wearing. He started kissing along your jawline, below your ear, nipping and biting on all the spots that were driving you crazy. The burn from his mustache was something you never thought you would like, but as he traced his lips across your body, you were putty in his hands. Down your neck, he licked at your collarbone, and down to your now-exposed breasts. Impatiently you pulled the rest of the shirt off and laid bare beneath Jack. He stared down at your almost nude form, completely captivated by your beauty. As much as he wanted to just stare at all your perfect curves, he was a man on a mission and he desperately wanted to get his mouth on your sweet pussy. 

He continued his path of licking, nipping, and kissing down your breasts, your stomach, over each hip, moving closer to where his goal. He pulled your ruined underwear down your legs and tossed them behind him. Nudging your knees over his shoulders, Jack settled between your thighs and licked an aggressive stripe from your ass to your clit. He moaned as he finally got to taste you. “Damn baby, you taste sweeter than homemade ice cream on a hot day.” He flicked his tongue against your clit before dipping lower to tease your lips; his mustache rubbing sinfully against your skin. 

“Oh fuck Jack. Yes…” You moaned loudly, gripping his hair tightly with one hand. Your other hand was massaging your breast, gently pinching your nipple. Jack glanced up and saw you looking every bit as wrecked as he was feeling. He was momentarily struck by how entranced he had become with you, in just a short amount of time. You had stolen his heart. With renewed passion, Jack earnestly ate you out like he was starved.

He brought a finger up to join his tongue, twisting and grinding both for a moment. He then removed his tongue and began a delicious rhythm of licking and sucking your clit while he twisted and fucked you with his finger, soon adding a second as he worked you open. 

Your moans were hedonistic and pornographic. The combination of your taste, the sight of you wrecked and laid bare for him, and the sounds coming out of your mouth were more than enough to get Jack’s cock growing painfully hard again, anxiously twitching to be inside you. 

Jack pulled back slightly, “Come on baby...you sound so pretty...daddy wants to hear you come again….come on sweetheart, give it to me….give it to daddy.” He groaned against your weeping pussy, fanning hot air over your heated core. 

Hearing his words, your orgasm exploded through your body. Your back arched, your toes curled, fingers tightened in Jack’s hair and around your breast, and you screamed out his name. White heat flashed throughout your entire body; you swore your soul left your body for a second. Never in your life had you experienced an orgasm like that. Every muscle in your body felt like it had been electrocuted. Even as you started to come down, your body continued to tingle. Jack continued to work you through the aftershocks, lapping up every drop you had to offer. 

“Oh fuck, Jack….that was…..never before….shit...you’re….fuckin’ amazing…” you struggled to string together a coherent sentence. Panting, trying to regain your senses. 

Jack just chuckled as he removed his fingers from you and licked them clean. “Well, thank you darlin’. I’m glad I could bring you so much pleasure.” He crawled up to lay beside you, running his hands along your stomach and breasts. “I gotta say, sugar, you got the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen. You are absolutely beautiful everywhere.” There was something about you that had Jack rambling like he was a teenager, “Makes me want to spend all night between those pretty thighs of yours, just makin’ you scream my name like that. Shit, sweetheart, you got me so hard again.” 

With your eyes closed, lolled your head towards Jack, licking your lips slowly. “Hmm…” You hummed and smiled, “so…’daddy’ huh?” You heard Jack chuckle beside you. 

“Sorry ‘bout springin’ that on you baby. You were just lookin’ too damn pretty all sprawled out and wrecked like you were, moanin’ my name. That does things to a man.” He drawled softly, gently tracing lines and shapes along your stomach. His grin clear in his voice. 

“Don’t apologize. I didn’t know that was something I’ve been missing, but fuck...Jack you are just bringing all sorts of dirty secrets out of me tonight,” you whispered. You opened your eyes and rolled to your side to face him, running a hand down his chest. “In fact, I’ll share another dirty secret with you right now,” you paused for dramatic effect. Jack raised an eyebrow at your in question. You leaned in to place kisses along his lips moving along his jaw until you reached his ear. Whispering innocently, “I want you to fuck me. And I want you to come inside me... _ daddy _ .” 

Jack’s eyes darkened as he gasped softly. “Oh baby girl, you don’t know what you just got yourself into.” He teased darkly, as he gripped your hips to pull you on top of him to straddle him. “Oh sweet girl, I’m gonna fuck you like you ain’t ever been fucked before. You’re gonna be screamin’ my name so loud the horses will know what’s goin’ on.” 

You moaned at his words and bent down to kiss him. It was dirty, tongues, teeth, and lust. Jack picked you up by your hips and slid your soaking cunt over his painfully hard cock, groaning as he felt how wet you were. You started rolling your hips, gliding your wet lips along his shaft. 

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the swell of emotions in his heart, Jack stilled your hips for a moment. Holding one hand against the side of your head, Jack gently caressed your cheek, “you are so beautiful.” He sounded reverent, a sweet moment from the man who, moments earlier, had just promised to fuck you within an inch of your life. You turned your head slightly, catching this thumb in your mouth and started to suck it like you had sucked on his cock earlier. “Fuck sweetheart...I was tryin’ to be sweet…” He groaned. 

You shook your head, still sucking on his thumb with wide, innocent eyes. “Uh uh.” Starting to slide your hips again. 

“You are gonna be the death of me aren’t ya sugar?” Jack groaned. “Alright. Here’s what’s gonna happen. I want you to ride daddy for a little bit...then I’m gonna flip you over and fuck you from behind so I can get my hands on that perfect ass of yours. How’s that sound, babygirl?” 

Still sucking his thumb, you moaned and nodded enthusiastically. Jack dragged his thumb out of your mouth, across your bottom lip, pulling it down slightly. His other hand firmly gripping your ass. Suddenly, he gripped your chin and pulled your head down into a bruising kiss. Chasing every corner of your mouth with his tongue, he tried to map every inch. 

When oxygen became necessary, he released your chin and used both hands to lift your hips so that his cockhead was catching at your entrance. You put your hands on his chest to steady yourself as Jack slowly lowered you on to his length. As soon as his crown breached your lips, you both moaned. Even after two orgasms, it was still a stretch for you to take him. Giving you a second to adjust, Jack whispered praises, “baby, you’re doin’ so good for me….you’re takin’ me so good...feel so good sweetheart.” 

You sunk down a little more, taking even more of him. Jack was holding himself back from thrusting up into you. He didn’t want to hurt you, but damn it was difficult. You just felt too good around him. He gritted out more praises, “yes, babygirl, just like that….just like that….you’re takin’ daddy’s cock so well sugar….”

With one last drop, you felt Jack bottom out in your pussy, both of you letting out loud moans. “Shit, Jack...you’re fuckin’ huge,” you breathed out. 

“God you’re tight,” he gritted out in response. “Baby, you feel so good, you gotta move soon.” 

You nodded and slowly rolled your hips experimentally. Because of Jack’s size stretching you so gloriously, you felt every vein and every ridge as he dragged over every inch of your cunt. With another roll of your hips, Jack’s hands flew to your hips to aid your movement. 

“Oh...oh my god Jack!” You shrieked as he hit a spot deep inside you. 

“Yes, y/n….yes baby...just like that….okay baby, ride me cowgirl.” 

You let out another yelp as he squeezed your hip, just on the right-side of painful. You placed your hands on his chest, feeling the muscles shift beneath you. Setting a rhythm, you started rolling your hips, feeling just how full you were of Jack’s cock. His hands were roughly guiding you, pushing him deeper into you, grinding you against him. As he started to gently thrust up into you, he angled your hips in a way that your clit was grinding against his abdomen adding just what you needed. Your walls clenched around him, eliciting a growl of your name. 

Glancing down, you saw Jack’s head was thrown back into the pillows, eyes closed, neck strained, groaning. It was the sexiest thing you had ever seen. Picking up your rhythm, you started to slam yourself against his hip bones, as he continued to match your pace with his thrusts. Jack opened his eyes and brought his hand to pinch your clit, feeling you tighten around him even more, “yes, that’s it honey...yes, just like that….come on pretty girl….come on daddy’s dick.” 

Your nails dug crescent shapes into Jack’s chest as you were thrown into your release; screaming out his name. Arching your back, your thighs tightened around Jack’s waist; murmuring expletives as your walls quaked around his length. Your whole body shuddered and you gasped as current sparked through every muscle in your body. It felt as though the aftershocks were neverending, like waves crashing through your body. 

As you eventually came down, Jack continued to gently rock his hips into you, gingerly massaging your ass. Your moans had dissolved into whimpers of ‘daddy,’ which made Jack twitch inside of you causing you to gasp. 

“Fuck Jack...that was...incredible,” you panted. 

“Oh honey...you are so fuckin’ hot when you come.” Jack sighed in awe. 

Gently Jack pulled out of you and laid you on the bed. For a moment he just looked into your eyes. You smiled at him, a grin stretched across his face in response. Delicately brushing a strand of hair out of your face, he bent to place a kiss to your forehead. Sitting back up, he rolled you over to your stomach and straddled the backs of your thighs, “we ain’t finished yet. You got one more in you, sugar? You got one more for daddy?” He smoothed his hands along the backs of your thighs. 

With your face pressed into the comforter, you nodded, “fuck yeah.” You glanced over your shoulder to lock eyes with Jack, “fuck me daddy.” 

With a groan, Jack gripped your ass and roughly massaged the flesh. Then, sliding down your legs, Jack gently slapped your ass. “On your knees, babygirl.”

You laid your chest flat on the bed and tucked your knees up under you, so that your ass was in the air. From behind you, you heard a groan moments before you felt Jack lick your swollen lips. You yelped in surprise which quickly turned into a moan. He cursed, “Shit sweetheart, I just love the taste of you.” He placed a kiss to each ass cheek. You wiggled your hips a little, earning a light slap and a chuckle from Jack. “Hang on to somethin’ sugar, daddy’s ‘bout to fuck this pretty pussy into this mattress.” He gripped your hips. 

Your moan turned into a gasp, as Jack thrust into you, bottoming out in one thrust. “Oh Jack!” You shouted.

He ran a soothing hand along your spine and bent to softly kiss your back. “You feel so good y/n, so good sweetheart...you’re takin’ daddy so well…”

Jack pulled back until only his tip was notched at your entrance and then slowly pressed back in again. You let out a long, almost primal groan against the comforter. He continued thrusting, pulling back quickly, then pressing in slow and deep. You were falling apart beneath him, moaning nonsense laced with the occasional expletive. Encouraged, Jack reversed his pattern. He began to pull out achingly slow, then thrust in swiftly. Continuing to angle his hips, searching for the spot that would make you scream. 

He felt the beginning of his orgasm tingle at the base of his spine, but he wanted you to come with him. He brought one hand around to your clit and started rubbing harsh circles. His thrusts were losing tempo, as he raced towards his finish. “Oh babygirl...fuck…..daddy’s gonna…need you to come with me...” The sudden change in angle had Jack hitting your g-spot perfectly with every thrust. You cried out. 

Your walls clamped down on him as you screamed out a combination of his name and ‘daddy.’ That was all it took, Jack thrust twice more and then he was shoving himself deep into your pulsating cunt, coming hard. “Oh fuck! Y/n!” Jack groaned. You shuddered as you felt his release splash against your walls. 

Panting and shaking, you stayed connected through both of your aftershocks. Until Jack slumped against your back, pulling you into his chest, he rolled you both to your sides. Somehow Jack had managed to stay lodged inside you. You groaned as you felt him shift inside with the new position. He hissed as he felt your walls contract. 

“Damn,” Jack breathed out after a few minutes of holding you and caressing your breasts. 

“Yeah,” you breathed out, sounding equally as wrecked. “That was amazing, Jack.”

“Darlin’ you are amazing,” spoke softly, placing soft kisses on your shoulder blade.

You felt him soften inside of you, something you had never enjoyed the feeling of before. But now, with Jack...everything was different. You found that you relished the feeling of him still inside of you; never wanting to let him go.  _ This cowboy is drawing out all sorts of new and dirty desires from me.  _

Reluctantly, you wiggled your hips releasing Jack from inside of you. He moaned in response. You turned towards him and kissed him. Wrapping his arms around you, he pulled you closer to him and deepened the kiss. For a moment, you both lost yourselves in the kiss. Again, reluctantly you broke the kiss, leaning back, “I have to go get cleaned up, I don’t want a UTI” you spoke softly, “but will you pull out one of your shirts for me to wear to bed?” Jack smiled and nodded his head, muttering a soft “yes ma’am.” 

Minutes later, you walked out of the bathroom to see Jack leaned back against the headboard wearing nothing but tight black boxers. He had his glasses on and was reading something on his phone. Naked, you padded to the side of the bed. 

“Hi,” you smiled at him.

“Well hello there gorgeous,” Jack smiled back and set his phone back on the nightstand along with his glasses. “I found a shirt for you,” he gestured to the worn grey t-shirt sitting on the edge of the bed. He watched you slide the t-shirt over your body; it was big on you, reaching to your mid-thigh. It was perfect. 

You crawled into bed and under the covers, murmuring softly, “thank you, baby.” 

Jack quickly got up and turned off the last of the light in the room and crawled into bed beside you. Instantly, you curled into him wrapping your arm around his chest. You both softly listened to your combined breaths, the crickets outside, and your own heartbeats for a few minutes. 

“Jack?” you whispered against his chest. 

“Yeah, babygirl.” 

“I’m really happy that we’re together. I really like you...well more than like you, but I’m just not ready to say that yet. You make me feel safe, which is something that I haven’t truly felt in a long time.” You paused, tracing imaginary shapes on Jack’s chest. “I feel like I can be myself when I’m around you. You know? Like I don’t have to hide any part of myself. Like tonight, that was a part of me...part of my sexuality that has never been exposed before. And I just felt so safe with you. I trust you with my whole heart.” You lightly scoffed, “sorry, I’m rambling...I just wanted you to know how happy I am.” 

Jack was in awe of you. “Darlin’...I’m really happy too. You are just so damn beautiful and so damn good. Makes me wanna be a better man. An’ I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. I wanna be your man and to be that, I gotta be better than I was the day before.” He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. “And I more than like you too, but I ain’t ready to say it either. But I do feel it.” Jack pulled you tight for a moment before continuing, “I don’t know what’s gonna happen over the next few days, but I am sure of two things. One, I’m not gonna let anythin’ happen to you and two, you are the best thing to walk into my life in a long, long time.” 

You nuzzled yourself deeper into his chest and into his arms, “good night Jack.”

“G’night sugar.” 


	7. Chapter Seven

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

One day before the showcase.

_ Jack’s POV: _

Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, gently hitting Jack’s face, waking him. He slowly opened his eyes. _ I can’t remember the last time I slept so well, it’s been ages. It’s good to be home...at least for a little while. Damn it feels so good to wake up naturally and not by the sound of an alarm or because of one of y/n’s nightmares. Y/n!  _ Jack glanced down to the woman he held in his arms. They were on their sides, Jack had one arm under her head and one arm wrapped protectively around her waist.  _ Goddamn, she looks like an angel. She’s so beautiful.  _

Jack let his mind wander back to last night’s activities. He thought back on the way her skin glistened and the way her hair fell across her face. He thought about the way her lips looked stretched around him and the way she pressed her core into his face when he was between her thighs. The more Jack reflected on last night, the more certain he became that he had fallen in love with y/n.  _ Fuck, I think I’m in love...or at least falling in love with her. I haven’t been this twisted up since I met my wife.  _ Jack felt a twinge of guilt when he thought about his deceased wife, but he tried to remind himself that she was no longer here. She would want him to find happiness, she wouldn’t want him to be lonely for the rest of his life. He knew that about her. 

Next to him, y/n let out a soft sigh and shifted slightly. Her bare backside brushing up against the front of his boxers. Jack suppressed a moan at the feeling, taking him back to last night. He thought back to the way her breasts had bounced sinfully as she had ridden him and the oh-so-innocent way she looked up at him while she had his cock stuffed down her throat. Jack softly groaned, suddenly aware that he was gently rocking his length into y/n’s backside. 

At that moment, a thought came to Jack. Smirking to himself, he delicately rolled y/n to her back. After making sure that she was still asleep, Jack slowly maneuvered himself under the sheer white covers and between her legs. He slowly spread her legs, opening her to his gaze. His breath caught in his throat as he saw how swollen and puffy her lips still were.  _ Damn, so fucking perfect. That pussy is just begging to be eaten. Like a damn Georgia peach.  _

Gently, Jack brought his lips to y/n’s core and began to softly suck and lick at her heated core. Above him, he heard her moan sleepily. She hadn’t woken up yet. Jack began to lazily flick his tongue over her clit, bringing a finger up to slowly press into her swollen cunt. Another sleepy moan from above him. He continued his lazy circles with his tongue, occasionally dipping into her cunt to taste her before continuing his leisurely sucking and licking. 

Soon, he felt her walls contract around his finger as a shudder racked her body. Greedily, Jack licked up every drop of her release. Relishing the way she tasted on his tongue. 

Y/n still gave no indication that she was awake yet. Jack quietly chuckled, smugly taking pride that he had worn her out so much last night. Smirking against her lips, he dove back in to bring her to another climax. 

*****

You were having the most wonderful dream, it felt so real. In your dream, Jack had you laid out across his desk at Statesman HQ, sitting in his chair with his head buried in your cunt. He was still wearing his stetson. You moaned,  _ god it felt so good _ . As your mind started to wake up, you slowly began to realize that you could practically feel the brush of Jack’s mustache against your delicate skin and the way his fingers dug into your thighs. 

Suddenly you were being thrown into your climax. Gentle tingles ran through every nerve in your body. You gasped. A wave of easy euphoria rippled across you, waking you up completely. Your hands slid to grasp Jack’s head between your legs. With your eyes still closed, a smile crept across your face as your hands felt the soft locks of Jack between your thighs. 

You lightly tugged his hair, “hmm...that was nice...helluva way to wake up…” you murmured, still keeping your eyes closed and smiling. 

You felt a huff of warm breath across your core, as Jack softly laughed, before he crawled up your body and captured your lips in a passionate kiss. He licked across the seam of your lips, asking for entrance which you readily gave, eager to deepen the kiss. You carded one hand through his hair as your other hand firmly gripped his shoulder, pulling him close to you. Your mouths slotted perfectly against one another, tongues dancing. Jack slid one hand under your shirt to cup your breast, the other rested softly against your cheek as he held himself up on his elbow. He slid to rest his hip next to your waist on the mattress, bringing one leg over the top of yours to gently grind himself against you. You moaned into the kiss. 

Soon, when breathing became necessary Jack pulled back leaning his forehead against yours. “G’mornin’ sugar,” he spoke softly, lightly panting. 

You hummed in response. “A good morning indeed. Good morning Jack,” you softly replied, smiling. 

“I was beginnin’ to wonder just how many I could pull from you before you woke up,” Jack softly teased, brushing his lips against yours. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Darlin’ you woke up on number two,” he chuckled softly, still brushing his across your lips, across your nose, over your cheeks. 

“What? You’re joking.” you asked, shock lacing your whispers. 

“Honest to god. I jest you not, honey.” Jack answered. 

“So it wasn’t a dream then.” you muttered, more to yourself. 

“A dream? You dreamin’ ‘bout me sweetheart?” he teased, continuing to brush his lips across your jaw, nipping gently. 

“Of course. But, this was more of a fantasy though. Maybe we’ll get to try it someday.” you answered cheekily. 

Jack nipped his way along your jaw to your ear, whispering softly, “I wanna hear all about it. But right now, y/n. What I really wanna do is make love to you sweetheart.” 

You shivered against him, your breath catching. All you could do was nod almost imperceptibly. 

Jack rolled away from you and removed his boxers, tossing them behind him. You were quick to pull your shirt over your head and toss it to the side. 

Rolling back towards you, Jack captured your lips in a passionate kiss while rolling you underneath him. He caged you in between his elbows as he sensually ground his hips against you. You moaned, wrapping your arms around his back. 

This kiss was different than any kiss you had previously shared. There was more tenderness, it was softer...slower. Jack tried to communicate the feelings he couldn’t share through the kiss. He poured every ounce of his adoration for you into the kiss. Praying that you would understand. You could feel the difference; you could feel Jack pouring his heart into the kiss, and you reciprocated in kind. Hoping that Jack would feel your devotion. 

Jack brought his lips to rest on your forehead as he notched his length at your entrance. Leaning back slightly, he locked eyes with you. A small nod from you, and he was slowly pressing into you. You maintained eye contact with him, even though the stretch had your eyes threatening to roll back in your head. Slowly, very slowly, Jack pressed his entire length into you. He could feel your walls fluttering around his length, the muscles tensing and relaxing. A broken whine slipped from your lips as the soreness from last night made itself known. 

Sensing your sudden discomfort, Jack stopped and brought a hand to your cheek, “talk to me love. Are you hurt?”

You looked up at Jack, saw the concern and adoration in his eyes, and slightly shook your head, “just a little sore. Give me a second, okay?” 

“Of course, honey. Anythin’ you need.” 

Jack could feel your walls tense around him. You took a few deep breaths to relax; he felt the moment when your walls relaxed. You nodded to him, “Okay.” He smiled and kissed the tip of your nose. 

Slowly, Jack continued to press into you until he bottomed out. You both groaned at the sensation. Staying still for a moment, you brought your hand up to card through Jack’s hair and then rested it against his cheek. You looked into his deep brown eyes. “I...I…” you choked out. 

He cut you off, “I know sweetheart. I know...and I do too.” He brokenly whispered back. 

Smiling, you nodded once at him and kissed his lips. With his forehead resting against yours, he slowly slid almost all the way out. You both gasped, before he was gently sliding back in. He thrust a couple more times just as slowly, before he sat up and wrapped your legs around his waist. You sighed his name as you felt the new angle. 

Coming back down to rest his elbows on either side of your head, Jack kissed you as he started to grind his hips into you with every thrust. You broke the kiss with a loud moan, tipping your head back, exposing your neck to Jack’s lips. He was more than happy to suck a light mark, as he gradually increased the pace of his grinding thrusts. Your hips began meeting his thrust for thrust as your nails dug into Jack’s back. He let out a deep groan against your neck. 

“Oh...yes...Jack” you moaned. Your mouth hung open in a silent scream. 

Jack carefully bit your neck, as he moaned. “Y/n...yes, baby...yes…”

He continued to grind his pelvis into you, creating the perfect amount of friction against your clit with every thrust. Soon, you felt your climax approaching. 

“Jack...Jack...I’m gonna….with me…” you were a moaning mess beneath him. 

“Yeah baby...I’m right there with ya...oh y/n…” Jack brought his lips to brush against yours, looking into your eyes. 

That’s all it took to have your climax wash over you. You dug your nails into Jack’s back, your walls fluttered and tightened around his length; you let out a long, low moan of his name as you closed your eyes with the power of your orgasm. Your already tight channel, clamped down impossibly on Jack, pulling him into his release. He growled your name as he held himself deep inside you, coming with a shudder. 

Neither of you could move for a minute. You laid there panting and enjoying the feel of the other person. 

Jack was the first to come to his senses, leaning down to capture your lips in a passionate kiss. You were eager to respond with an equal amount of passion, prying your fingers from his back, you brought your hands to hold his cheeks. The emotions shared in the kiss caused you to involuntarily clench around Jack’s softening length. He groaned into the kiss. 

The two of you laid there, making out, still intimately connected for the next few minutes. Neither of you really wanted to leave the moment.

Eventually though, you had to come back to reality. Easing out of you, Jack slid to lay beside you, pulling you to lay against his chest. He breathed in your scent and placed a kiss to the top of your head. Suddenly the silence was broken by a grumble of your stomach. 

You laughed, “oh, gosh! I guess I’m hungry. You really wore me out Jack!” Teasingly you kissed at his chest. He chuckled. 

He absentmindedly ran a hand along your hair, “I guess we’re just gonna have to make us some breakfast before we head into the office today, now won’t we?” 

“Hmm, yes please,” you answered, sitting up. 

“Now why dontcha run along and get that beautiful body of yours in the shower while I make up some coffee and see what Delilah left to make for breakfast.” Jack drawled, lightly tapping your ass. 

You showered and dressed in simple jeans and a white tank top. The house was full of the sweet aroma of coffee when you came downstairs to see Jack, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, making up some kind of omelette. You made up some toast and poured two cups of coffee. The two of you ate breakfast sitting at the island in the kitchen. Jack’s heart couldn’t help but notice how comfortable and how good this kind of domesticity felt with you. It felt so normal, so natural. 

After breakfast, you cleaned up the dishes while Jack took a shower and got changed. A while later he came back down the stairs in a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. He looked  _ good. _ You packed up your overnight bags, Jack sent a text to Delilah, and the two of you jumped in the truck for the drive back to Louisville proper and the Statesman HQ. 

*****

Since arriving at HQ, around 10am, you and Jack had been in a logistics meeting with Champ, Tequila, Ginger, and two other agents you hadn’t met before (Agent Rum and Agent Vodka). They had been running over the details over tomorrow’s mission at the showcase in LA. 

You finally learned what the plan was to stop the launch of the nanites. Basically, you were going to attend the showcase as a consumer with Agent Vodka as your close security. You were the bait, although Jack (you called him Whiskey while you were in public) had told you that he didn’t like to think of your role that way. But you know that you were still the bait. Champ hoped that by seeing you at the showcase, it would either draw out the hitmen or spook Langston Clark, Tom Walker, and/or Dr. Austin into making a mistake. Tequila and Whiskey were going to locate the AshMed booth then convince the presenter that they were serious buyers and ask for a private demonstration of the technology. The plan was that once they had the presenter away from prying eyes, they were going to retrieve the location of the stockpile of nanites from them and then steal them. Agent Rum was a floating agent, tasked with keeping a general eye on things, while Champ and Ginger will be monitoring things from HQ. 

Ginger pulled you aside to go over some of the tech and to get you fitted for your showcase outfit. As you were being led from the room, you saw Champ firmly grip Whiskey on the shoulder and pull him into his office. 

In Champ’s office…

Both men stood silent until the door was fully closed. Then…

“Jack! You better start talkin’ right now.” Champ boomed. 

“Champ, Now I know that broke protocol. I didn’t get the relationship cleared ahead of time. But Champ, she already had a background check an’ signed all the paperwork when she came into our protective custody.” Jack knew he had screwed up, but he hoped that Champ would see that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

“That’s not the point, boy, an’ you know it. You shared your name with her, for god’s sake you took her to your goddamn house before ever communicatin’ with me. That ain’t how we do things around here, Jack, an’ you know it.” Champ’s voice had softened, slightly. 

Jack realized that Champ was upset about the breach in protocol, but he was  _ more  _ upset that he hadn’t talked to him first about his feelings for you. He softened his voice in his understanding, “Champ, I know I shoulda talked to you first,” he ran a hand over his face. “It just all happened kinda fast I reckon.” Jack let out a sigh, “I hadn’t felt these things since my wife, and...I dunno Champ, I just wasn’t sure what I’s feelin’ at first.” 

“Aw hell, boy. Come ‘ere.” Champ pulled Jack into a warm embrace. “I’m happy for ya, Jack. I am. It’s been good to see that stupid smile on your face again. And, while I wished you’d have talked to me ‘bout it, I’m happy for ya.” He stepped back to grip Jack’s arms, “And y/n is a real nice gal. Bit of a firecracker, but I’m bettin’ that’s one of the reason’s you’re sweet on her.” 

Jack chuckled, “yeah, she sure is, Champ.” 

Champ let out a hearty laugh, “Alright then. It’s settled. D’ya want me to add her to your emergency contact and information release?” 

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

“Consider it done,” Champ nodded. “Okay then, I reckon we get back to this shindig we got goin’ on tomorrow then.” 

*****

Soon you were boarding the Statesman private plane with Whiskey, Tequila, Agent Rum, and Agent Vodka headed for a safehouse in LA. All of the gear, wardrobes, and weapons were stowed in the bottom of the plane. The five hour flight went back faster than you thought, although you had slept through most of it, curled up against Whiskey in one of the large seats. 

The safehouse was a sprawling condo located in the heart of the fashion district, not too far from the Los Angeles Convention Center. It had seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, a massive kitchen, living room, dining room, pool, and entertainment center. Under other circumstances you would have gushed about the space. 

Efficiently the team settled into the house. You and Whiskey shared a bedroom, while the rest of the agents each grabbed their own sleeping space. A command center was set up in one of the spare bedrooms and another bedroom soon became a weapon’s cache. 

You couldn’t really help with any of the set up, so you decided to make dinner for everyone. As you were boiling a large pot of water for pasta, your Statesman phone dinged in your pocket. You glanced at the screen, it was a message from Jack. 

**Whiskey Jack: hey baby**

**You: Jack! Lol are you texting me from inside the house?**

**Whiskey Jack: yes ma’am, I’m upstairs**

**You: why? Lol**

**Whiskey Jack: I was thinking about you**

**You: aww Jack <3 **

Giggling, you slipped your phone back in your pocket and continued making dinner. Soon, it was finished and you were yelling up the stairs that dinner was ready. Like teenagers, the agents all slowly emerged from their rooms to grab plates of pasta and salad before sitting at the table. Dinner conversation was about the mission tomorrow, making sure that everyone was clear on everything. 

Tequila offered to clean up. After thanking him, you and Jack took showers and then curled up in bed. It had been a very long day and both of you were exhausted. You fell asleep tangled up in each other’s arms.


	8. Chapter Eight

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

The Los Angeles Convention Center was a massive structure in the heart of LA. The EBD Group’s annual Biotech Showcase had three main features: a large speaker hall for honored speakers, a vendor fair, and smaller break-out workshops. The showcase took up most of the conference center. 

You were dressed in a professional pencil skirt and blouse paired with heels, hair in a high ponytail, walking into the convention center. In your hand a seemingly simple black portfolio that was actually a Statesman tech tablet. Agent Vodka trailed a few feet behind you, also dressed professionally in black slacks and a light blue button-down shirt with a dark blue tie. 

Casually, you and Agent Vodka wandered the aisles of the vendor fair. Over your earpiece communication device, you heard when Tequila and Whiskey arrived at the center. They were going to scope out the speaker hall first before entering the vendor fair. Agent Rum was the last to arrive on scene, after coordinating briefly with Ginger over coms, he opted to stay in the lobby for 15 minutes before entering the vendor fair. 

As you were pretending to peruse the display at a booth for artificial pancreases, suddenly someone was grabbing your arm. Looking up you were startled to see one of your former co-workers from AshMed Industries, Craig, gripping your arm. From the corner of your eye, you saw Agent Vodka take a step towards you. 

“Y/n! Where have you been? Dr. Austin sent out a memo that you had some kind of psychotic break and suddenly quit last week.” Craig was speaking rapidly. “But here you are! Are you alright?” 

You subtly shook your head at Agent Vodka, indicating that you didn’t need help. “Oh! Hi Craig! Good to see you.” Leaning in to give him a hug, you continued with a forced laugh, “Oh that...yeah, I just needed some time away from the lab, I guess. Burnout and all that. But yes, I’m doing much better now, thank you.” You tried to keep your voice light and friendly. 

Over the coms, you could hear Whiskey frantically asking what was going on, Agent Vodka and Ginger were doing their best to calm him down. 

“Oh, well I’m glad you are better.” Craig continued, gently pulling you away from the booth about pancreases. “Listen, I’m really glad I ran into you, I think I found something off in the code of the nanites.” 

That stopped you in your tracks. “What? What did you find?” Your voice was suddenly urgent but guarded. 

“I think I found a vulnerability,” Craig said quietly, leaning in to you. “I don’t want to talk about it here though, can I show you?”

“Yes, please do.” You answered, gesturing to him to lead the way. Covertly, you motioned to Agent Vodka to follow you. While you didn’t think that Craig was a threat, it was comforting to know that Agent Vodka was close.

Craig led you through the vendor fair, out into the lobby, and through another set of double doors which opened into a small lecture hall. Instantly, you were on guard, the hairs on the back of your neck standing straight up. The lecture hall was darkened and mostly empty, just a few tables and chairs shoved to one side for storage. You turned back to question Craig, when you felt a sharp blow to the side of your head, instantly everything went black. 

*****

When you came to, the first thing you noticed was the taste of blood in your mouth. Then you heard Whiskey’s voice frantically yelling your name, but he sounded far away... You shook your head to gather your senses, but as you did a wave of nausea overcame you.  _ Whoa. Okay, not doing that again,  _ you thought. Looking down at your body, you realized that you were tied to a chair with your legs and arms bound. You gasped and looked up. Crying out, you saw Agent Vodka unconscious on the floor a few yards from you. 

In your earpiece, you could still hear Whiskey urgently saying your name. 

“Ja...Whiskey…” you croaked, your voice shaky. 

“Oh baby! Yes, I’m here. Thank the lord,” Whiskey was frantic through your ear-com, “Your vitals look okay, a little shaken, but overall okay. I’m trackin’ you now sugar, Tequila and I are on our way to you.” 

Suddenly from behind you, you heard a laugh. “Oh y/n. The first thing you ask for is whiskey? Have you become an alcoholic since I left you?” The familiarity of the voice spent shivers down your back, making your mind reel in panic. Another laugh, “You are even more pathetic than before!”

“T...Tom.” You stuttered out disgusted, splitting out blood at the same time. In your earpiece you heard Jack, “Tom, as in your ex? He’s here? Shit. Okay. Baby, hang in there, I’m comin’ for ya.” 

The man walked around you to face you, his cruel face leering at you. He was dressed in a suit, seemingly ready for the big launch. 

“What did you do to him?” you asked, forcing your voice to be strong. Gesturing to the unconscious agent on the ground. 

“Him? Oh, just knocked him out. He’ll be fine,” Tom answered before turning to jeer at you, “you should be worried about what I’m going to do to you.”

“Wh...why?” In the back of your mind, you knew that Ginger could hear what was being said. You hoped that you could keep Tom talking long enough for Jack to get to you. 

Tom casually leaned against a table that had been dragged from the wall. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone could you? You know, for a dumb bitch you can be too smart for your own good sometimes. Just couldn’t stay quiet about that damn vulnerability.” He suddenly lunged at you, holding a knife to your face, “well, at least the secret will die with you.” 

“It won’t!” you shouted at him. “I told other people.”

Tom slashed at your cheek and laughed. He stood up and walked back to the table. “Oh I know you did. I heard about how some cowboy rescued you in New York. Just like you were a pathetic damsel in distress, ha! Typical y/n, always in over her head.” Tom paused to laugh and wipe your blood off his knife with a rag. “Well, I don’t know who he is or who he works for...yet, but when I find out, he’ll have to die too.” Tom stood from the table and glared at you, pointing the knife at you. “And that’s on you y/n. You killed him.” 

You could feel blood starting to drip down your cheek. In your earpiece, you heard Ginger say, “Hold on y/n. Whiskey and Tequila are coming. Agent Rum is moving in to neutralize the nanites. Don’t give this asshole anything.” You nodded, steeling yourself for whatever was about to happen. 

Suddenly Tom was right in front of you again, he slapped you across the face twice. Laughing he shouted, “HA! Feels just like old times doesn’t it!” He glanced behind you, “oh man! You should have seen her back then, always covered in my bruises.” He glanced back at you, “You just never did learn to keep your mouth shut, did you?” Tom gave you an ugly sneer, before punching you in the gut. “Although, if she’s become an alcoholic, she’s probably not much better now.” You felt movement behind you and then the shapes of Dr. Austin, Langston Clark, Craig, and an unknown man walked into your field of vision. 

“Just get it over with, Tom. Kill the bitch already, and let’s get out of here.” Langston spoke to your ex. 

“Yes, please just get this over with.” Dr. Austin added, glaring at you. Craig and the unknown man stayed silent. Neither one meeting your eyes. 

You glared at Dr. Austin, seething hatred. “Do you know what he’s going to do with those nanites? Do you know how many innocent people are going to die?” 

It was Langston who answered, “Of course we know. And we would hardly call them innocent. Please… pre-marital sex, homosexuals, fucking women’s liberation, negroes...these sinners are anything but innocent. Please.”

“You’re a monster! You’re sick, you bastard!” You screamed.

Langston continued as though he hadn’t heard you, “And now, with this tech, If they sin, they die. Very simple.” He turned to Tom, “Now please, let’s just get rid of her so we can go do our launch.” 

“Oh alright,” Tom muttered, I suppose it  _ is  _ time.” He pulled a pistol out of a case on the table. “Do you know what this is y/n?” 

“It’s a .45 calliber glock, dumbshit.” You spat, “Usually used by guys with more going on between their legs than you.” Vaguely through your earpiece you heard Jack snort a laugh. 

Tom pistol-whipped you across the face before you could react. You laughed. “You can’t control me anymore, you pig!” He hit you. “You will  _ never  _ control me again.” He hit you again. “Go to hell you sick fuck!” He hit you again; you felt something in your nose crack. 

“Where’s all this fight coming from, huh y/n? This is new.” Tom taunted you. “I had you broken and trained so nicely.” He let out a “tsk,” before continuing, “Such a shame that all that work is now lost.” 

You felt blood pour over your lips and you could already feel your eyes starting to swell shut. Spitting blood at Tom, you growled, “Fuck you Tom. Go to hell.” Tom raised the pistol to strike you again. 

“Tom! That’s enough. Enough! Just end her,” you heard the voice of Langston shout. 

Closer to your ear, you heard Dr. Austin speak quietly to you, “the bullets in that gun have a special load, you brat. They’re loaded with nanites specially programmed to enter the bloodstream and inject poison into all major organs. It causes full organ failure in 15 minutes. Quite magnificent actually.” You didn’t need to see him, to hear the smug grin on his face.

“Now, look over here and smile pretty one last time for me,” Tom jeered at you, raising the handgun to aim at you. “Goodbye y/n.”

At that moment, Whiskey and Tequila came crashing through the double doors, guns (and whip) raised. Instantly, Whiskey shot Dr. Austin dead who dropped with a thud next to you. More shots were fired, Tequila hissed as a bullet grazed his shoulder, his left arm dipping slightly. Before straightening and dropping Craig, while Whiskey dropped the unknown man with shots between the eyes. Both fell with loud thuds. Suddenly you heard an electric current, and turned to see Whiskey with his electrified whip, striking at Langston and Tom. 

Tequila ran to you and quickly untied the bindings that held you to the chair. “Don’t get shot by Tom’s gun,” you whispered to him, “it’s loaded with nanite bullets that will kill you.” Tequila nodded and helped you stand. 

Tom was taunting Whiskey, “Who the hell are you? And why would you want to waste your time saving this pathetic bitch.” Whiskey didn’t take the bait, just continued to place well-aimed strikes to the ground by his feet. The electricity crackled like lightning in the empty room. “Oh, wait, wait! Are you the cowboy who rescued this slut in New York? Ha! I hope you at least got to screw her. Although, she’s not much of a lay.” You heard Whiskey growl, but otherwise he didn’t respond. 

“Shut up! And shoot him, you moron!” yelled Langston. 

With his left hand, Whiskey raised his pistol and shot Langston square between the eyes. At the same moment, Tom fired at Whiskey, hitting him in the left shoulder. Simultaneously, Tequila shot Tom in the head and you screamed. 

You ran to where Whiskey was standing, “No! Whiskey!” Running your hand over the bullet wound, you tried to stop the bleeding. 

He wrapped an arm around you and smiled, “Baby, it’s okay. This ain’t the first time I been shot. I’ll be okay.” Suddenly his smile dropped and he slid to the ground. You cradled him in your arms as you sank to the ground with him, you started to cry. “Hell, that smarts don’t it.” 

“Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry. Please don’t die. I can’t lose you,” you sobbed into his neck. 

“Now baby, ain’t no need for tears. It’s just a bullet wound. Ginger will have me fixed up in no time,” Whiskey spoke softly. “Baby, please. There’s no need to cry, sweetheart.” 

“Jack, listen to me.” You sobbed, “the bullet... was loaded with...with... nanites. You have about fifteen minutes,” you sobbed harder, unable to look him in the eye. You had gotten him killed. It was your fault that the man you loved with was laying here dying. Your heart shattered and you couldn’t breathe. 

“What happens after fifteen minutes?” Jack asked, hesitantly. 

You looked up from his neck and locked eyes with Jack. Your bloodshot, quickly swelling shut eyes met his dark brown eyes. “Oh.” Jack said simply, nodding slightly. 

He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to him, needing to feel your body against his...even if it was for the last time. Jack reflected on how luck he had been to at least be able to fall in love again before he died. He kissed the top of your head gently. 

The sound of Ginger’s voice in your ear startled you. She was yelling at Tequila to apply some gel to Whiskey’s wound. Tequila roughly pulled you off Jack. You threw a punch at him, missing; still fighting to stay by Jack, desperately trying to hold on to him. 

Tequila grabbed your shoulders with both hands and held you at arm’s length. He shouted at you, “Stop! Ginger says there’s a way we can save him. But I gotta act quick. Now STOP!” You shakily nodded and stayed where Tequila had put you. 

You watched in horror as Tequila ripped Jack’s jacket and shirt off, exposing the bullet wound in his shoulder. The sight of Jack’s blood unfreezing your mind. Making sure to stay out of Tequila’s way, you crawled over to Jack’s right side to hold his hand. His eyes had closed but he squeezed your hand firmly. Tequila pulled out a packet of blue goop and poured it on Jack’s shoulder injury. Jack hissed. The gel instantly hardened over the wound, looking like a blue and yellow bubble. Next Tequila pulled a syringe from his belt buckle and administered a dose of a mystery substance to Jack’s exposed arm. He suddenly went limp beside you. 

A shriek escaped your lips. “What did you do? What did you do to him?” you shouted at Tequila. 

“Calm down now. Please calm down y/n.” Tequila softly spoke to you. “I administered a wound pack to the bullet wound. It’ll stop any and all spread of the nanites. It will also begin to heal him. The shot was a sedative to knock him out, the healing process is painful and I don’t want Whiskey to be in pain.” Tequila paused and looked down at Whiskey, before saying softly, almost to himself, “I love the ol’ dog more than he knows.” 

“Ok...okay, and that will save him?” you asked, trying to keep from shouting at poor Tequila some more. He nodded. 

In your earpiece, Ginger added “the gel-packs work, y/n. Just last year, Whiskey fully recovered from a shot to the head by using one of these. He’ll be okay.” You shook your head, you didn’t want to hear about Jack being shot in the head right now.  _ Definitely not going there right now. That is a nightmare for another day. _

A groan from across the room grabbed your attention. Tequila pulled you behind him protectively, raised his gun, and moved to investigate the noise. It was Agent Vodka waking up. 

The next ten hours were a blur. 

Somehow Ginger had arranged for an ambulance to pick you guys up. Whiskey was loaded into the back. Agent Vodka bandaged Tequila’s arm. You were driven back to the safehouse to pack up everything. Somewhere along the way, you learned that Agent Rum had successfully secured the nanites. You had your face bandaged up and Tequila made you take a painkiller, threatening that Whiskey would kick his ass if he learned that Tequila had let you stay in pain. The four of you and the unconscious Whiskey loaded the plane again and flew the five hour trip to Louisville. Tequila said that you slept next to Whiskey’s unconscious form the whole time, but you don't know for sure. Your face was really starting to hurt.  _ I think my fucking nose is broken. _ Then, you were being greeted by Ginger. Whiskey was being pushed into the Statesman sickbay. You threw up. Someone had convinced you to shower and change your bloody clothes. Your face had been bandaged again. 

And now you were sitting in a chair next to Whiskey’s bed, somewhere between sleep and awake. Ginger came in and gently placed her hand on your shoulder. You looked up at her. 

“How are you holding up?” She asked kindly. Everyone at Statesman had been incredibly supportive and kind to you since getting back to Louisville. Champ said something about how Jack had made you his next of kin. 

“I’m okay, I just wish there was something I could do to help,” you answered, glancing back at the unconscious Whiskey. You squeezed his hand, hoping he could still feel that you were here for him. 

“Unfortunately, we just have to be patient. Wait and see as the gel heals him and hope and that it stops the nanites.” 

“Wait? Hope that it stops the nanites? What do you mean?” you asked, alarmed. Sharply looking up at Ginger. 

“Well, the gel tech has never gone up against nanites before. We don’t know what will happen when he comes out of it. It may not be enough to stop the damage. You need to prepare yourself.” Ginger said. While her voice was calm and kind, you felt like you had just been kicked in the stomach. 

“No! That’s not good enough! There has to be a way!” you raised your voice. 

“I’m sorry y/n, we just have to wait and see.” Ginger gently squeezed your shoulder and then walked away, out of sickbay. 

You sat beside Whiskey, suddenly feeling like you couldn’t breathe.  _ There had to be a way. I’m not willing to accept ‘wait and see.’ Hell, the nanite project itself was advanced tech that no one had ever used before. There had to be a way. _

For the next few hours, you sat by Whiskey’s side. Your mind racing to find a solution. Finally, Champ came in and told you to get some sleep. You had been up for more than 24 hours at this point. He walked you down the hall to a bunk area before promising to wake you up if anything changed with Whiskey’s condition. 

You laid on the cot, trying to relax and fall asleep. But you felt too lonely and cold to sleep without Jack by your side. You had fallen completely in love with the agent and now there was a possibility that you could lose him. Tears streamed down your face, completely uninhibited. Rolling to your side, your mind went back to the night you had spent at his house.  _ One perfect night with the man I love. A perfect night with the perfect guy.  _ The way he looked at you with so much love in his eyes. The way he seemed to know your body better than you do. The way he made you feel so safe, inside and outside the bedroom. Safe, something you hadn’t felt in so long, because of your now-dead ex-husband. Jack had given you safety. You felt safe enough with him to relent your need-to-control.  _ Control, that’s an interesting thought...wait...hold up...that’s it! Control! I need to gain control of the nanites in Whiskey’s system, then I can reprogram them not to kill him! _

You lept from the bunk and ran to Ginger’s lab. 

After explaining the concept to her, Ginger readily made use of her lab for you to test your theory. For the next three days, you hardly slept or ate. You didn’t even leave Ginger’s lab. Testing batch after batch of nanites, trying to hack into the very code you wrote. Silently cursing yourself for making it so strong. You had scanned Whiskey and identified the frequency that the bullet-nanites were using. Now you were working on copying that frequency with a new piece of code, taking advantage of the very vulnerability that had started all of this. With the goal of hijacking the nanites in Whiskey’s body and reprogramming them to heal him, instead of kill him. 

Late on the third day, Wednesday maybe(?) Champ walked into the lab to check on your progress. 

“Howdy there y/n, how’s it goin’ down here?” 

You looked up from the laptop you had been glued to nonstop for...well for however long. Champ could see dark circles under your eyes and exhaustion written plain on your face. “I think I’m getting close, Champ. I think I’m getting close. I just want to be sure, you know? I don’t want there to be any chance that I’m wrong. The consequences are too high.” 

Champ nodded sagely. “I reckon that’s true. But I’m also willin’ to bet that there is no one else that ol’ Jack would want workin’ so hard to save him. He trusts you. Which is not an easy thing for Jack to do. No ma’am, I think you’ve just about met everyone in Jack’s life who he trusts - me, Tequila, Ginger, Delilah, and you.” 

You gave him a weary smile, “thanks Champ. I just hope I can save him, like he saved me.” 

Champ winked at you, “Darlin’ I think you two have saved each other.” And with that, he walked out of the lab. 

You smiled at his retreating form, grateful to be able to count him among your friends now. Glancing back to your screen, your eyes noticed an equation that was wrong. You hadn’t noticed it before, but with the helpful distraction by Champ, you now looked at your code with renewed eyes. “Thank you Champ!” you cheered, eagerly returning to your work. 

The next morning...well at least 12 hours after your conversation with Champ, you were ready. Time had become somewhat irrelevant over the past few days, but judging that the sun was now up and you didn’t think it was when you spoke with Champ, you guessed it was morning time. 

Ginger, Champ, and Tequila gathered in the room with Whiskey. You entered with your computer. The timing of this had to be exact; if Ginger released the gel too soon you wouldn’t be able to hack in fast enough to stop the nanites. If she released the gel too late, your frequency beacon would be blocked by the gel itself. Timing was essential. 

You pulled up the transmitting program and your written piece of code on to your screen, ready to do the fastest hacking you had ever done in your life. Glancing at Champ and Tequila, they both gave you thumbs up and anxious grins. You took two deep breaths to steady your shaking hands. The man you loved was depending on your hands being stable. You were not going to screw this up. Rolling your shoulders, you were ready. You looked over to Ginger, standing over Whiskey and nodded. 

She started a countdown, “5...4...3...2..1...go.” Pressing the gel release into the bubble of gel, it instantly started to deflate around Whiskey’s shoulder wound. 

At the same time, your fingers started furiously flying over the keys of your computer. Using the nanites' very own frequency, you were hacking in and assuming control over their functions. It fought you at first, but your second push you got in. Muttering a soft “yes,” you continued to type rapidly. After you gained control, you sent a push delivery to the nanites, reprogramming them to heal torn flesh and muscle, and destroy any bacteria found in Whiskey’s body. You waited a minute for the nanites to respond to their new code and then you ran a fast scan to make sure that they were actually doing what you had programmed them to do. 

The room was tense for 5 minutes straight. 

The scan popped up completed and showed all nanites were performing as you had programmed them. You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you had been holding. You looked up from your computer over to Whiskey. There was a collective gasp, as everyone saw that his eyes were open and he was smiling over at you.

“Damn, sugar, you sure can type fast,” Whiskey croaked hoarsely. 

You, Champ, Ginger, and Tequila broke into fits of laughter. 

Once collecting herself, Ginger sprinted to Whiskey’s side to check his vitals and run scans of her own. Champ grabbed water and brought over to Whiskey, handing it to him. And Tequila wrapped you up in a big hug. 

With his head tucked into your neck, he let out a soft sob. The big-hearted cowboy squeezed you so tight, you could feel his heartbeat through your chest. “Thank you y/n...thank you for bringin’ him back. Thank you…” You wrapped your arms around Tequila and squeezed him back. 

After pulling yourself from Tequila’s embrace, you walked over to Whiskey. 

“Howdy darlin’, it’s real good to see you,” he said softly, his voice still gravelly. He reached up with his right hand to brush a tear from your cheek. “Champ and Ginger say that you saved me. Thank you, baby.” 

You couldn’t even respond, you just gave in to the tears and threw yourself into Whiskey’s right side. He chuckled and rolled you on to the bed with him, kissing your face, trying to catch each one of your tears. 


	9. Chapter Nine

**CHAPTER NINE**

You pulled the old truck into the garage/barn at Jack’s house. He had reluctantly allowed you to drive, but still insisted the entire time that he was fine and perfectly capable. You just giggled. With his left arm in a sling, he hopped out of the truck. You reached into the back and pulled out two duffle bags. 

“Well praise the lord!” Delilah was standing on the porch of Jack’s house. “He lives! Halleluyah!” She wrapped Jack in a warm embrace as soon as he stepped on to the porch. The older woman looked absolutely maternal in the way she affectionately ruffled Jack’s hair. “Boy, you ‘bout gave me a heart attack. Don’t you go doin’ somethin’ like that again!”

Jack stepped back from her hug, grinned and tipped his stetson, “yes ma’am.” 

“Well good then.” She nodded and then gestured towards the house, “now get on in there. Fridge is fully stocked an’ I even bought you a new bottle of bourbon, figured you’d be needin’ it.” 

Jack hugged Delilah with his right arm and softly kissed her cheek, “I’d be so damn lost without you Delilah. Thank you.” 

“Damn straight.” Delilah responded with a twinkle in her eye. She gave Jack another hug then wrapped you in a warm hug before returning to her truck and driving away. 

You followed Jack into the house. He kicked off his boots, hung up his hat, and padded into the living room. As he flopped on to the sectional, you heard a soft grunted ‘ow,’ when he hit his shoulder. 

Smiling and shaking your head slightly, you brought the bags upstairs and tossed them in the master bedroom. You changed into a pair of leggings and a tank top before heading back down stairs. Glancing into the living room, you saw Jack sitting up reading his tablet on the couch. 

“I’m gonna make dinner, what sounds good?” you asked, leaning against the staircase railing. 

“Hmm...how ‘bout...aw hell honey. Anythin’ you cook is delicious,” Jack answered, beaming at you. “I’m so lucky to have you.” 

You laughed and walked into the kitchen. After dinner, you and Jack sat outside on the porch swing, bundled together under a blanket, sipping glass mason jars of bourbon. You rested your head on his right shoulder, sighing contentedly. 

“So, you gonna be able to make it two whole weeks on mandatory bedrest?” you asked, teasingly, as you lifted your head to place a soft kiss to his cheek. 

“Well sugar. I reckon it’ll be difficult. You know how much I love bein’ out in the field an’ all.” Jack smirked at you, before continuing. “Fortunately, I got this smokin’ hot nurse who’ll look out for me. See, I’m hopin’ that she will join me for the bed portion of my bedrest.” He tried hard to keep a straight face, but with the way you were looking at him, he couldn’t. He burst into laughter. 

You laughed with him, “Sounds like torture…” you sassed, rolling your eyes playfully. Still smirking, you laid your head back on Jack’s shoulder and felt his arm wrap around you. 

The two of you stayed outside, on the porch swing just watching the sunset. Taking a sip from his mason jar, Jack could feel a question gnawing at him. Something had been bothering him ever since the shootout at the convention center, but he had been hesitant to bring it up. Squeezing you gently with his right arm, Jack cleared his throat, “Uh, darlin’, can I ask you somethin’?” His fingers traced shapes on your shoulder and upper arm. 

You turned a little in his arms to look at him and smiled, “Of course, Jack.” 

“Something that Tom said in that lecture hall’s been botherin’ me.” He paused to glance at you before continuing. “He said he had broken you as part of some training. Baby, what did that man do to you?”

You sighed deeply and let out a small joyless laugh. “You heard that? Damn.” Closing your eyes and lowering your head, you smoke softly. “I already told you that Tom abused me. Well, what I didn’t tell you before was that he had a sort of program he followed. He was convinced that I was somehow defective because I wouldn’t follow the rules of his stupid church on how women were supposed to behave. I wouldn’t be subservient to him or meek. Not to mention the fact that I’m bisexual. He hated that.” You scoffed softly, and shook your head “Anyways, he didn’t like that I wasn’t behaving  _ good _ , so he created this systematic training program.” Jack reached out to stroke your cheek with his thumb, gently raising your chin to look at him; you started crying. “It was basic classical conditioning: negative reinforcement or punishment for  _ bad  _ behavior and positive reinforcement for behavior that he deemed  _ good _ . I...um….I was never very good at being  _ good _ . I fought back, until one day he hurt me so bad that I realized if I wanted to survive, I needed to be  _ good _ . It was that trip to the hospital where an advocate set me up with that therapist. And I started seeing her in secret. And you know the rest.” You looked at Jack, shocked to see tears in his eyes. 

He choked back his tears, “Baby, I am so sorry you went through all of that.” He pulled you into his lap and pulled your head to his shoulder, and whispered. “Y/n, I’m real sorry for what that bastard did to you. I’m also real glad that I got to know that Tequila ended that sick fucker.” He kissed the top of your head, trying to calm his tears, he started to gently stroking your arm. “Baby, you are perfect, absolutely perfect. An’ I love that you are a firecracker, and how daggum brilliant you are, and how resilient you are. You are stronger than he will ever know.” Jack pulled you tight against his chest. “Damn, now I want to kill that asshole all over again for what he put you through.” 

You laughed, a genuine laugh. “Thanks Jack...I knew I was never going to let him hurt me again. But now, knowing that he  _ can’t  _ hurt me anymore...I don’t know...I feel free.” You leaned to look up into his eyes, “and  _ you  _ gave that to me. You gave me that freedom, Jack. Thank you.”

Jack captured your lips in a kiss, murmuring against your lips, “it was my genuine pleasure babygirl, my pleasure.” 

After a while it became too chilly to sit outside any longer. The two of you went back into the house. Jack ran upstairs to change into sweats and grab a sweatshirt for you, while you settled on the couch with a fresh glass of bourbon. 

As Jack rounded the corner of the stairs to walk into the living room, he froze. There you were, curled up with too many blankets on his couch, sipping bourbon, scrolling through something on your phone. You looked so perfect. He thought his heart was going to burst from the love that swelled at the sight in front of him.  _ This is heaven. This is the way it’s supposed to be. This is perfect. _ He thought to himself. You looked over at him and smiled, and Jack was sure he was going to explode or pass out or something, from the way his insides reacted to you smiling at him. He was so in love with you. 

Jack walked over to the couch and leaned to give you a kiss before standing back up. “So darlin’ you wanna watch a movie or somethin’?” 

“A movie sounds nice. What do you have?” You asked eagerly, causing Jack to grin at you. He loved your enthusiasm for things, how excited you got over the simplest of things. His life had been missing that kind of enthusiasm. 

He gestured to the shelf of movies, “Go on and pick something. And if you don’t find something you like, Delilah said I have...oh what’s it called….Net somethin’ and somethin’ else called hula?”

You broke into laughter as you walked over to the movie self. “Jack! Do you mean Neflicks and Hulu?” Barely able to read the titles of the DVDs on the shelf, you were laughing so hard. 

“Yeah! That’s the one.” Jack answered, stealing your spot on the couch, “Hey, are you laughin’ at me, sugar?” He smirked at you, teasing. 

“Yes, yes I am. You are too young to be so old sometimes!” You giggled as you continued to look through his movie collection. 

Eventually you settled on The A-Team, the new one with Bradley Cooper. You figured Jack would appreciate the action sequences and humor. And it was one of your favorite go-to movies. After the movie, Jack admitted that it was good, commenting that he really liked that Hannibal Smith guy. You laughed,  _ of course he would! _ The two of you headed upstairs to the bedroom. 

Jack pulled off the sling and slipped out of his t-shirt and sweatpants before crawling into bed. You slid out of your leggings and bra, trading your tank top for one of Jack’s shirts, before also crawling into bed. He pulled you against his chest, wrapping his arms around you protectively. 

“Jack, I’m so glad that you’re okay,” you whispered against his chest. 

“Me too sugar. Me too. Thank you, baby,” he whispered back. 

You laid there in the quiet for a few more minutes, listening to Jack’s even breathing and feeling his steady heartbeat under your hand. There was an itch, a need thrumming in your body. You needed to feel Jack, to know that he was going to be okay, to know that he wasn’t going anywhere. Shifting against him, you rubbed your thighs together. It wasn’t enough, you needed Jack. 

He must have sensed your discomfort because he softly whispered, “Sugar? You alright? You seem a little antsy. What’s wrong?” 

You looked up at him, from your place on his chest, “I...I need to know that you’re okay. I need to feel you. I want you but I don’t want to hurt you, Jack.” You whispered, hesitantly. 

“Oh sugar, I need you too.” He pulled you up so that your body completely covered his. “Baby, I was thinkin’ the same thing. I want to feel you  _ so  _ bad, but I just wasn’t sure if you’d be ready yet.” 

You kissed him passionately, deeply. He sighed happily into the kiss and tightened his arms around you. The kiss grew; Jack swiped his tongue against your lips. You moaned into his mouth as you opened yourself to him. Jack groaned, his tongue caressing every part of your mouth. Your hips began to grind into Jack’s pelvis, causing him to groan into the kiss. 

He pulled back from the kiss panting. “Babygirl, I gotta taste you. Please, can I taste you?” 

You nodded and started to roll off him. Jack stopped you with a firm grip to your arms. “Uh uh, sweetheart,” he shook his head, smirking at you. “Up here.” 

Moaning, you shaily replied, “Jack? I...I don’t...”

“Come on up sweetheart.” 

You slid off your underwear and shirt as Jack removed his black boxers. He held your hips as you crawled up his body, hesitantly straddling his head. You were slow to lower yourself to him, playfully he nipped at your inner thigh and pulled your hips down, burying his face in your core. 

“Oh!” you yelped as you felt the burn of his mustache and swipe of his tongue through your folds. One hand flew to grab his hair, the other bracing yourself against the headboard. You felt Jack moan into you, the vibrations causing you to gasp. He wasted no time in taking you apart. Licking his way through your lips and tracing shapes over your clit. Jack was a man on a mission, singularly focused on making you come hard. 

“Oh Jack,” you moaned, beginning to roll your hips against his face. He was alternating sucking and flicking your clit with his tongue. His large hands firmling gripping and massaging your ass. You were dripping down the sides of Jack’s face, he felt like he was in heaven; groaning as he started to feel your body shudder. Moaning out his name, you felt Jack move his tongue against your lips in the same way that he kissed you. It pushed you over; you gripped his hair and the headboard tight, arching your back as you fell off the edge into the abyss. Jack continued to gently suck and lick, trying to lap up every drop of your release. 

Becoming too sensitive, you wiggled your hips. Chuckling softly, he gripped your hips and slid you down his body to straddle his waist. You eagerly leaned down to kiss him, moaning as you tasted yourself on his lips. You lazily made out for a few minutes, until you could no longer ignore the desire to feel him inside of you. 

You sat up, moving to roll your hips to catch his length on your entrance, when Jack stopped you firmly with his hands on your hips. Questioningly, you glanced at him with an eyebrow raised. 

“No baby, not this way. Lay down,” he lifted you off of him and moved so that he was curled up behind you with you spooned in front of him. He laid on his right side, so that his injured shoulder wasn’t taking his weight. You wiggled your ass, feeling his hard length bump between your ass cheeks. He moaned, making you giggle. 

“Sugar, you are so beautiful….I’m gonna make you feel so good,” he softly spoke against your neck, causing goosebumps to erupt across your skin. Jack slid his length between your thighs, feeling the heat and moisture from your core. “Damn honey, you’re so wet.”

“Please Jack...please, I need to feel you...I need you,” you softly begged, gently rolling your cunt along his length. 

Jack groaned, “Shit baby...you beggin’ is makin’ it damn near impossible to be a gentleman right now,” he nipped at your neck, as he lifted your left leg over his hip. Using the back of his elbow to keep your leg still, he brought his hand to your breasts to caress and pinch your nipple. 

You let out a soft yelp as Jack pinched your nipple, “Jack…..please….” you moaned softly. 

He angled his hips, feeling the heat from your core against the head of his cock. “Alright sweetheart, I’m here.” Slowly, he pressed into you from behind. You both moaned as his crown breached your tight entrance. 

“Fuck...Jack...yes…” you rolled your hips back slightly, taking more of him. Your nails dug into his arm as you gripped his left arm tight. He ran a hand soothingly across your breasts and stomach. Without warning, you let out a hedonistic growl, and rolled your hips again completely sheathing Jack’s length inside of you. 

“Oh fuck!” Jack shouted, “Y/n, baby...you feel so good. Shit sweetheart, you just took all of me.” He felt your walls flutter around his cock. At this angle, you felt even tighter than you had before. 

“Jack…” you moaned, “just a second…” You turned your head into the pillow, gently biting. Behind you, Jack started placing kisses along your neck and upper back, across your shoulder. His hand stroking soothingly across your stomach. After a few moments, you felt your body relax. “O...okay,” you shakily whispered. 

Slowly, Jack pulled back and then rutted back into you, repeating the motion, whispering into your ear. “Yeah darlin’...shit you feel so good...so good all wrapped up tight around me…” Jack could feel your walls flutter. 

You started rolling your hips to meet Jack’s thrusts, turning your head to capture his lips in an awkward-angled but dirty kiss. Your hand reached to grip his hair. Jack’s left hand slid to your hip to guide your rolls. Faster, he started thrusting into you with more hunger, grinding his pelvis into your backside with each slap. Needing oxygen, you broke the kiss and gasped. Which turned into a sharp intake of air paired with his name. Jack continued to thrust and grind, grunting softly. Dropping his lips to place kisses and nips to your neck, Jack watched more goosebumps spread across your skin. 

“Yes! Jack! Right there!” you yelped as Jack adjusted his angle to repeatedly nudge your g-spot. Your walls clenched around him, causing Jack to bite your neck. The slight pain from the bite paired with the hits straight to your g-spot made you clench tightly around Jack’s length and scream out. You felt the coil in your lower belly begin to tighten.

Knowing you were getting close, Jack dropped his hand to your clit to start rubbing harsh circles on the swollen nub. You  _ really  _ tightened around him at that. 

“Fuck y/n! You’re squeezin’ the shit out of my cock, darlin’,” Jack gritted behind you, dropping his open mouth to your shoulder. You moaned his name and started to roll your hips harder against him. Jack could feel his release begin to tingle at the base of his spine. 

Three thrusts later, you screamed “Jack! I love you!” as you flew over the edge, thrown into your climax. Your body shuddering almost violently against Jack’s, you felt every muscle in your body contract and relax. Heat raced through your veins; your ears buzzed loudly. You felt Jack bite harshly into your neck as he found his release, causing another orgasm to rip apart your system. 

You had been squeezing him so tight and then he heard you yell his name with those three words. It had been his undoing. He pulled you firm against his chest, his fingers causing bruises on your hips, and thrust deep into you, coming hard. He sunk his teeth into your neck, which caused you to tighten impossibly more around his cock. Jack had never come so hard in his life, he felt slightly dizzy. 

You felt Jack’s release spurt against your walls, you moaned enjoying the feeling of him. This is what you needed.  _ This  _ is what you had been craving.

For a few moments, the two of you laid in comfortable silence, enjoying each other. The only sounds were your heartbeats and your soft panting. You felt your combined release drip across your thigh, sliding sticky and wet. But you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. Jack was okay, he was alive, he was safe. That’s all that mattered. 

Behind you, Jack stirred, “Baby, we should go get cleaned up.” He ran his hand along your hip and stomach. 

You childishly shook your head, “uh uh, don’t want to.” 

Jack chuckled, causing his cock to twitch inside of you. You both hissed softly. 

“Want to stay here, stay with you.” 

He smiled and kissed your neck. “Yeah, baby. Me too. How ‘bout a compromise?” You turned to look at him and raised your eyebrow. “Damn, you are just so fuckin’ adorable, you know that? Anyways, how ‘bout we go get cleaned up,” he heard you grumble, smirking he continued, “and then we come back to bed and we can fall asleep just like this. How’s that sound?” 

“Just like this? You promise?” your voice still had a young quality to it, which Jack adored and made his cock twitch again. 

“Yes, sweetheart. Just like this,” he leaned to whisper in your ear, “you can fall asleep with me deep in this beautiful little pussy.” You nodded, biting your lower lip. 

The two of you got out of bed and took a shower. It was a little hard to concentrate on getting cleaned up because you just couldn’t keep your hands off each other. Eventually, you were able to get cleaned up and return to the bed. Both of you slid under fresh sheets completely naked. Jack had been hard since your playful shower. After using his mouth to get you nice and wet, Jack rolled you to your side in front of him and slid into you. He held you tight against his chest as he spooned you. It felt so good. It felt right to be connected to you like this. 

You moaned a soft, “thank you. Feels good.” 

Jack smiled, laying his head on his pillow. For a few minutes, he just laid there; feeling you around him and thinking about what you said earlier. You said that you loved him. He already knew how you felt, but to hear you say it, damn, he had not been prepared for how his heart had lept. Smiling to himself, he leaned his mouth close to your ear and whispered.

“I love you too, y/n.”

He saw a sleepy smile grace your lips. 

*****

You were in the kitchen, slicing apples to make apple pie when you glanced up to see a truck coming up the driveway. “Jack,” you hollered, “Champ’s here.” 

Jack met the older man on the porch, embracing him affectionately before ushering him in the house and into the kitchen. 

“Hiya Champ, good to see you,” you nodded at him, smiling. “Can I get you anything? Sweet tea? Water? If you stick around long enough, you can have a slice of homemade apple pie.” 

Champ chuckled good-naturedly, “Howdy, there miss y/n. Good to see you too honey. I’ll take some sweet tea, if it’s not too much trouble.” 

“Comin’ up,” you answered, walking to the fridge. 

Jack gestured for Champ to sit at the table, “What’s on your mind old friend? You don’t usually go out makin’ house calls. And I still got another 10 days left on my leave. My recovery is goin’ fine. Test results all look good.” 

“That’s what I hear. Good, Jack. I’m happy that you are makin’ a full recovery. I need you back in the field. Tequila is doin’ a mighty fine job. But that boy is young still. I’m glad to hear that you’re makin’ a speedy recovery,” Champ started. “Oh, thank you ma’am,” he said to you as you set a glass of tea in front of him. “But it ain’t you that I drove out here to see, Jack.” 

“What?” You asked, surprised. Curiously, you sat at the table next to Jack, taking his hand. “You came to see me? Is everything okay? Has something happened?”

Champ smiled and nodded, “Yes ma’am, everythin’ is just fine. There ain’t no fire nowhere.” Champ paused and shared a knowing look with Jack before continuing. “You see y/n, I’m here to talk to you. Ginger said you did a real good job with those nanites, sayin’ she wouldn’t have been able to do what you done. So we got to talkin’ and thinkin’. An’ honey, I’m here to recruit you. I want you to work in Statesman Ops with Ginger.” 

Your jaw dropped. “Wh...what? M...me? At Statesman?” You were stuttering. Beside you, Jack chuckled and squeezed your hand, reassuringly. 

“Yes ma’am.” Champ nodded sagely. “The training for Ops folks is a little different than field agents, fewer live rounds,” Champ winked at you. “If you agree, your training would start when ol’ Jack here goes back into the field. You’d be based here in Kentucky. And I’m even thinkin’ of movin’ Jack here back home from New York.” Champ looked over to Jack before continuing, “Agent Vodka’s got family in New York and well, Jack, now you got family here in Kentucky. I think it’s best if we transfer you back to be based from HQ.” 

Jack looked to you, “Whatya think darlin’? You wanna be in the lab with Ginger? And stay here with me in Kentucky?” 

“Yes! Hell yes!” You answered with that enthusiasm that Jack loves about you. Leaning in to kiss Jack you wrapped him in a hug. Then you turned to Champ, “Yes sir, I would be honored to be an Ops agent with Ginger!” You stood up and hugged the older man. Champ smiled over at Jack as he hugged you back. 


	10. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

18 months later. 

“Whiskey heads up, you got three - no - four incoming, 11 o’clock,” your voice came through Whiskey’s earpiece. 

“Thanks Pep, I see ‘em.” Whiskey whispered as he moved stealthily through the jungle, unfurling his lasso from it’s holster. He spotted the assailants moving towards his location. He knew he needed to stop them and get the remote before the men entered the bunker. 

“Heat signatures show that activity in the bunker is increasing. Whiskey, they’re gearing up for the launch,” you calmly spoke. 

“Ten-four, Pep. I’m makin’ my move now,” Whiskey responded in a low voice, “you just make sure my ride is set outta here.”

“Yes sir,” replied your voice over his earpiece. 

Whiskey continued moving towards the four assailants. Still hidden, he silently casted his lasso, catching one of the men by the leg and pulling him quickly into the jungle brush. Efficiently, Whiskey broke the man’s neck and searched his pockets. Nothing. Damn. 

Watching the live feed from Whiskey’s glasses, you said, “Damn, okay three more to go.” Whiskey only grunted in response. 

The other three men were obviously spooked by the disappearance of their comrade, putting them on edge. Whiskey had somewhat lost his element of surprise. But they still didn’t know exactly where he was. He silently crept through the jungle covering. 

Again, he casted his lasso and caught the leg of one of the men, pulling into the underbrush. Once again, Whiskey efficiently dispatched the man and searched his pockets. Empty again. Damnnit. 

The men had raised their rifles, unsure if the threat was man or beast, they scanned the jungle with the scopes. Whiskey couldn’t risk them raising the alarm to the rest of the bunker if they discovered that he was out there. He had to act fast. The men were now too far from underbrush for his lasso trick to work a third time. He needed to come up with something quick. 

Whiskey suddenly stepped out from the underbrush, he heard your gasp in his earpiece, but you were otherwise silent. He raised his pistol at one man and caught the other around the neck with his lasso. 

“You stay real quiet and don’t go doin’ somethin’ stupid now. You hear me?” Whiskey spoke softly to the men, tipping his stetson slightly. You could see the fear and confusion on the faces of the men. You silently smiled, amused by your lover’s antics. 

“Hand over the remote, now. Nice and easy like,” Whiskey continued. The men looked at each other; both you and Whiskey knew they weren’t going to do it. “Aw, fuck,” Whiskey muttered under his breath. 

Without warning, Whiskey shot one man between the eyes and electrified his lasso, effectively decapitating the other man. He ran to their bodies and began searching. 

“Shit, Whiskey! What the hell?” you yelled in his ear. 

“Now, Pep you know I had no choice. We both know they weren’t gonna hand that thing over.” His hand found the remote and he yanked it from the man’s jacket. “Now, get me outta here Pep. There’s gonna be a world o’ hurt comin’ real fast now.” He took off running into the jungle towards the extraction point. 

“Tequila, get your ass moving. Whiskey’s comin’ at you.” You spoke harshly through the earpieces. 

“Yes ma’am. On my way,” replied the drawl of Tequila. “He went and got them chasin’ him, don’t he now?” 

“Yes, he does. Now move, Tequila!”

“On my way ol’ man,” Tequila teased, over the coms. 

Panting as he ran, Whiskey replied, “Boy, I can still kick your southern ass.” He paused as you heard gunshots through the coms, “aw hell,” Whiskey swore and he ran faster towards the clearing. 

Tequila lowered the helicopter into the clearing designated as the extraction point. He saw Whiskey burst through the jungle to his right, weaving as he dodged bullets from the army of men chasing him. Tequila started to speed up the rotors as he saw Whiskey jump onto the floor of the helicopter out of the corner of his eye. 

“Pepper, he’s in. I’m outta here,” Tequila spoke. “We’ll conference with you once we land back at the safe house.” 

“Understood,” you replied, all business. “I’ll be here if you need me.” 

Tequila and Whiskey landed at the safe house. After disabling the remote and packing up their gear, they called you. 

Whiskey watched as your face popped up on the monitor. You were wearing a dark button-down blouse, top button open, your hair was pulled into a ponytail, and you had your signature red-rimmed glasses perched on your nose. His heart warmed at the sight. 

“Good to see you in one piece gentlemen,” you greeted the two agents. “Thanks for bringing him in safely, Tequila,” you smiled at the younger man. Turning to face Whiskey, you smiled “And thank you for saving the world, yet again Agent Whiskey.”

“Anythin’ for you darlin’,” Whiskey drawled, giving you a smirk and a wink. 

“Guys...really?” Tequila whined. You and Whiskey laughed. 

“Okay, okay.” You calmed, taking on a more professional tone. “Get to the airport, the jet is there to bring you home; it’s an eight hour flight. Travel safe boys. See you soon.” 

*****

Tequila and Whiskey landed safely in Louisville. After a debrief with Champ, the three of you packed up the remaining gear, then Tequila and Whiskey got medically checked out by Ginger while you fully disabled the remote detonator. You joined them in sickbay. 

“Hey there Ging’, how are my boys doin’?” you asked, walking up to rest your hip against Whiskey’s bed. 

“So far so good, Peppermint. Looks like minor bumps and bruises, nothing that a few good night’s sleep can’t fix,” Ginger replied, removing a scanner from Tequila’s chest. 

“Yeah, Dr. Pepper, we’re fine as fiddles,” Tequila joked. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge. 

“Tequila, come on man. How many times have I told you, it’s Peppermint or Pepper. Not Dr. Pepper,” you playfully shoved him back onto the bed. “Don’t make me call you Cuervo or Patron!” 

Whiskey burst into laughter while Ginger softly chuckled. 

“Oh shit! That’s funnier than a two dollar bill!” Whiskey weezed. “I’m gonna call you Cuervo next time you’re bein’ a fool!” Whiskey howled with laughter. 

Tequila crossed his arms and huffed like a petulant child, “Ginger, come on now, help me out.” 

“Oh no, leave me out of this!” Ginger laughed. She walked over to you, squeezed your arm and added, “Good job on this one y/n. Now, get these guys out of my lab before I start testing things on them.” 

“Thanks Ginger,” you answered softly. Turning to the men, you added “alright, well you heard the lady, get your asses movin’. Come on, git.” You and Ginger laughed as Whiskey and Tequila tripped over themselves trying to reach the door. 

Once outside the distillery, you waved goodnight Tequila, reminding him that he did a good job on this mission. He tipped his hat at you and jumped in his truck. Turning back towards Jack, you saw that he was holding his passenger truck door open for you. 

“Thank you kindly, sir,” you teased as you slid into the truck. Jack swatted your ass as you passed him. He closed your door and walked around to slide behind the wheel.

Starting the truck, he said “you did a damn good job on this one, honey.” 

“Aw, thanks Jack. So did you. I mean, you  _ did  _ save the world and all,” you joked with him. 

Jack chuckled, “It was a team effort darlin’. But if you wanna give me the credit, I’d be happy to accept those rewards.” He turned to you with that dangerous smirk and winked. You both knew what a successful mission meant. It meant a couple of days of sweet and dirty sex. You know, to reconnect after being apart for so long. 

Jack pulled the truck into the barn at the house. After walking into the house, you headed to the kitchen to make something for dinner, while Jack ran upstairs to take a quick shower. You knew you needed to make something that would be hearty and have lots of leftovers; neither of you would feel like cooking - or leaving the bedroom - for the next few days. Smiling to yourself, you got to work making a big platter of lasagna. 

After dinner, you and Jack sat in the high back chairs in the bedroom, sipping bourbon and doing your own debrief of the mission. With soft country music playing in the background. He told you a hilarious story of Tequila being bitten by some spider in the jungle and hallucinating for 30 minutes that he was Elvis. You were laughing so hard you snorted a few times. Jack shared that he had eventually been able to get the young agent back to normal after administering an anti-venom. 

Soon enough, you were able to get your laughter under control, and you turned to Jack. “I’m so happy you’re home. I miss being able to touch you when you’re out in the field. And while I’m glad that I can still talk to you, it’s just not the same as being able to touch you.” 

Jack downed the rest of his bourbon, set the glass down on the coffee table, and looked at you with a gentle smirk across his handsome features, “you wanna touch me darlin?”

You returned Jack’s smirk with one of your own, as you bit your bottom lip and nodded. “Uh huh, always, Jack. I love you.” 

“Damn sugar, you know I love you too. Come ‘ere,” 

You got up from your chair, to stand in front of Jack; you held out your hand. 

“What’re you doin’ sugar?” Jack asked, taking your hand and letting you lead him to the bed. 

You stopped in front of the bed, smiling at the curious look at Jack’s face. Without saying a word, you slowly stripped out of your t-shirt, leggings, bra, and underwear. Leaving you bare to Jack’s hungry gaze. You watched his eyes hungrily take in your naked form. An appreciative moan escaping his lips. He reached out to run his hands along your breasts, across the planes of your stomach, to your hips. 

You dropped to your knees, looking up at him with wide innocent eyes. The fire in his belly began to rage. You reached to remove his sweatpants and he nodded to you. Slowly, you hooked your fingers into his sweatpants and pulled them down his muscular thighs, pleasantly surprised to find that he had forgone underwear tonight. Once you had his sweats around his ankles he kicked them away. 

Leaning forward you licked along his already half-hard cock; slowly suckling him into your mouth. You moaned as you felt him begin to grow as you continued to suck and lick along his length. Jack held the back of your head gently. You started to bob your head, taking his length deeper into your mouth and down your throat. He groaned as he felt himself bump the back of your throat. 

“Fuck, baby....yes...just like that,” he moaned above you, beginning to gently rock his hips into you. Your hands braced yourself against his strong thighs, as you swallowed around him. Jack tightened his hand on your head, “Fuck babygirl...s’good...feels s’good…”

You pulled back to look up at him, tears starting to fall, lips and cheeks red. He thought you were beautiful. “Jack, come down my throat. I want to taste you. Please,” you begged, your voice ragged from taking him. He nodded down to you and pulled your mouth back to his cock. “God darlin’ you are so fuckin’ good...look at you, all pretty with that pretty mouth stretched around me...fuck”

You sucked him deep down your throat, swallowing around him and using your tongue to caress the vein on the underside of his cock. Your own arousal had started to drip down the inside of your thigh, loving the feel of him in your mouth. Continuing to take him deep, you increased the pace of your bobbing, alternating between harshly sucking and lathing your tongue along his length. He twitched when you brought your hand to firmly fondle his balls. 

“Fuck babygirl...yes....” Jack groaned. “Oh shit sweetheart, I’m close...daddy’s gonna come down that gorgeous throat of yours…” His moan dissolved to almost a whimper as he felt the vibrations of your moan around his length. He gripped the back of your head to hold his cock deep down your throat; your nose brushing the dark curls at the base of his cock, he twitched and came hard. You moaned again as you felt and tasted his release; remembering to breathe through your nose. Again, feeling you moan, Jack spurted more cum down your throat. 

Gently, he released your head, allowing you to pull back and breathe. Immediately you returned your mouth to his cock to lick him completely clean. Once finished, you sat back on your calves and looked up at Jack. You made eye contact with him and then visibly swallowed. As he took in your appearance, he groaned above you. Tears streaming down your face and lips swollen, “Fuck, you are perfect ain’t you, my dirty girl.” 

Jack ripped his t-shirt over his head, tossing it behind him, before bending to pick you up from the floor and toss you onto the bed. You bounced with a playful giggle before he pounced on top of you. Immediately attacking your lips with his. You easily opened yourself to him and wrapped your arms around his back. The kiss was dirty and full of lust. Both of you were desperately hungry for the other. It was always like this after successful missions; high from the adrenaline of the fight only fueled by missing each other. That’s why the rest of the agency knew not to call either of you for a few days after each mission. You were...otherwise occupied. 

Pulling away from the kiss, Jack gently nipped at your lips, “I missed you so much, babygirl...I need to taste you.” He kissed his way down your jaw, along the curve of your throat, licking your collarbone, sucking a hickey to the top of your breast, biting and kissing his way down your stomach and across your hips. When he finally reached his goal, you were a panting mess above him; moaning and swearing his name. He just chuckled as he situated himself between your thighs and lowered his mouth to your dripping cunt. Jack licked aggressively along your lips, collecting your arousal in his mouth. He let out a sinful groan. “Damn, y/n. How’s it that you taste better than I remember. Fuck, so damn sweet.” 

“Shit Jack! Yes!” you yelped as he lowered his head back to suck at your clit, teasing your entrance with a finger. “Yes! Oh Jack…” You buried your fingers in his dark locks, before softly whimpering, “please daddy...please…”

You felt Jack groan against your core, as he continued eating you for all you were worth. He focused his mouth on your clit as he pressed a finger into your core. Your moans were almost pornographic at this point, rapidly making Jack grow hard again. He rutted his hips against the mattress for some relief. 

Jack continued to suck and flick his tongue across your clit while rubbing mercilessly on your g-spot with his thick finger. You felt yourself beginning to tumble towards your climax. With one final harsh suck, Jack sent you spiralling. Arching your back you nearly came off the bed, your toes curled almost painfully and you screamed out Jack’s name. Shuddering as you came down, you felt him continue to place soft licks along your clit and lips. 

“Fuck, Jack. I really missed you,” you breathed out, releasing your fingers from his hair. 

He let out a laugh before crawling up your body to lay beside you. “Aw darlin’, you’re just sayin’ that ‘cuz you know I’m the only one who makes you cum hard enough to forget your own name,” he softly laughed. 

You rolled your head to look at him, teasingly raising an eyebrow, “what’s my name again?” 

Jack let out a hearty laugh, before leaning to delicately lick the curve of your ear, “oh, babygirl, I’m not even close to bein’ done with you. It’s been two long weeks that I’ve been deprived the warm softness of your pretty pussy. I ain’t done with you yet,” he let out a mischievous laugh before rolling you on to your stomach. 

You yelped with surprise, “Jack!”

He moved behind you and softly slapped your ass, “up you go darlin’.” You brought your knees under you and raised your ass into the air. Hearing an appreciative groan from behind you, as Jack placed kisses and tender bites to both cheeks. 

Not being able to stop yourself, you moaned again. You had missed Jack and you needed to feel him. “Please, Jack….please…” you softly begged. 

“What was that, sugar?” Jack drawled teasingly, while moving to kneel behind you, running his hands along the curves of your ass. 

You wiggled your ass, “fuck, Jack...please…” Turning your head to glanced back to make eye contact with him, you softly whimpered, “please, daddy, please...I need you fuck me.” 

Jack’s cock twitched at your tone, the innocence in your eyes, the filth of your words, the visual of your ass was in the air. You were perfect. He was  _ so  _ in love with you. “I gotcha, babygirl, I gotcha. Daddy’s gonna make you feel so good,” he growled. 

He rubbed his cock along your soaking pussy, feeling your arousal drip around him. Gripping your hips with one hand, he guided himself to your core with the other. Slowly, he inched himself into your warm, soaking pussy. Once again, he was amazed to feel how tight you felt around him. No matter how many times the two of you had sex, you always felt so deliciously tight around his length. 

“Fuck y/n, you’re always so tight for me, girl,” he gritted out, running a hand along your spine to soothe your shaking body. 

With your face pressed into the bed, you answered muffled, “It’s ‘cuz...fuckin’ big...daddy.” 

He continued to whisper praises to you as he inched his length into you, “doin’ so good sugar...god, look at how pretty you are, all wrapped around daddy like this...pretty as a picture honey...you feel so good…” 

As Jack bottomed out, you brought your hands back to dig your nails into his thighs, letting out a low moan into the bed. He gave you a moment to adjust to him, before gently withdrawing to thrust back into you. Feeling your walls pulse and contract around him, he moaned out your name. 

Gradually he increased his thrusts, slowly withdrawing before slamming back in. The room became filled with the sounds of your combined panting, pornstar quality moans from you, soft grunts from Jack, and the slap of skin against sweaty skin; the sounds drowning out the soft country music still playing. His thrusts continued to build into a bruising pace. 

“Touch yourself sweet girl,” Jack gritted, as he moved one hand from gripping your hip to his mouth. He sucked his thumb into his mouth to get it wet and then brought it down to rub circles along your puckered hole. 

The triple sensations of Jack’s cock nailing your g-spot repeatedly, your own fingers rubbing your swollen clit, and Jack’s thumb flirting with your ass suddenly became too much for you. The coil in your abdomen shattered without any warning, hurling you into your release. 

You loudly screamed as electricity shot through your veins, causing every nerve to spark, every muscle in your body to contract and relax rapidly. Heat erupted through every inch of your skin. Your walls tightened down on Jack, more than he had been expecting. It was too strong; he couldn’t hold back his body’s response. Not when you were sounding and looking like you were. Jack thrust deep into you, breaching your tight ring with his thumb as he slumped against you in his release. 

His thumb suddenly in your puckered hole so unexpectedly, threw your body into another orgasm. Feeling ripples of pleasure pulse through your entire body. Behind you, Jack whimpered a “fuck,” as he felt your walls ripple against his length again. A low, gritty, growl of your name escaped Jack’s lips as his brain was flooded with pleasure.

Jack gently moved you both to your sides, still connected. Both of you panting hard, it took minutes for you to settle. 

“Wow,” you breathed out eventually. 

“Yeah...wow is right, sugar. Damn,” Jack answered, sounding just as breathless as you felt. 

“I  _ really  _ missed you, Jack,” you whispered, softly clenching around his length. 

He hissed, then whispered back, “I really missed you too, y/n.” He paused to place a kiss on your shoulder, “I do like hearin’ your beautiful voice in my ear when I’m gone though.” He placed a soft bite to your neck, “And I  _ love  _ comin’ home to you.” 

“Such a romantic,” you teased him, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, babygirl,” Jack spoke softly against your back. “Now how ‘bout we go get cleaned up, drink some water, and I come up with another place in this house to fuck you against.” The playful smirk was evident in his voice. 

“Hmm...you always know a way to this girl’s heart,” you teased back, “deal.” You smiled. 

Jack slowly withdrew himself from you, kissed your lips, and then walked towards the bathroom. You sat on the bed, watching his bare ass strut. Laughing, you threw a pillow at him.  _ That man is going to be the death of me! _ You thought before jumping out of bed and chasing after him. 

The End


End file.
